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Todorovden — Horse Easter

Todorovden is a celebration of horses and their owners. Horses are groomed and decorated, and many places hold a kushiya, a horse race.

3 chapters2 sources

Todorovden — Horse Easter — paper-cutout illustration

A celebration of horses

Todorovden falls on the first Saturday of Great Lent and is known in folk tradition as Horse Easter. Owners care for their horses and prepare them for the celebration. Horses once played an important part in work and travel, so the day also expresses respect for them.

The horse race

Prepared and decorated horses race outside the settlement. The kushiya brings together riders and spectators; in some places it ends with a shared circle dance. Rules and prizes follow local tradition. Etar Museum’s account presents one known variant.

Other customs on the day

Todorovden involves more than racing. Etar Museum also describes visits to a new bride and rites concerning the hair of girls and young women. The celebration thus combines care for animals with family and community encounters.

NEXT TRADITIONIgnazhden — The First Visitor

Sources and credits

Publications

Historical information, local examples and current practices were checked against these publications.

Illustration

Created with ImageGen for СБОРЪ.БГ. An artistic interpretation of the custom, rather than a documentary photograph.

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