The forbidden religion. Some changes in the traditional holiday system in Bulgaria during the socialist period (1944-1989)
The forbidden religion. Some changes in the traditional holiday system in Bulgaria during the socialist period (1944-1989)

Summary/Abstract: This article is based on documents, archival materials and orally retold history – the narratives of ordinary people. Its main goal is not to research exhaustively and chronologically everything that happened to the Bulgarian traditional holiday system in the period 1944-1989 but to focus on certain moments and some characteristic changes imposed by the Bulgarian Communist Party and its propaganda especially with regard to the religious holidays of the Orthodox calendar. The emphasis is on the most prominent among them, Easter and Christmas, whether they disappeared or managed to survive during the socialist period, as well as on the effect of atheistic politics on our holiday system. By comparing archival records and the respondents’ stories, we should be able to trace to what extent and how party decisions were perceived and applied in everyday life and celebrations, as well as which of the traditional religious holidays were celebrated in the family.

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