Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Medieval fair near Bulgaria’s Shumen on the eve of Midsummer's Day

Photo: shumen.bg

The Madara Historical and Archaeological Reserve /15 km from the town of Shumen/ is hosting the National Medieval Fair "The Magical Madara". Its program includes demonstrations of weapons and clothing, training for children in archery, sword fencing. Workshops on metal plastics, coin cutting, pottery and woodworking are also open to all visitors.

The place and time of the fair were not chosen by accident. Madara has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years. The rocks and water here were sacred and magical to the ancient Thracians, Romans, Bulgarian pagans, Christians and Muslims. That is why the event on the eve of Enyovden (Midsummer's Day) - the holiday of the summer solstice (June 24), is considered a kind of pilgrimage to the past and the founding of the Bulgarian state.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The еthnographic еxhibition “Sunken Heritage” raises serious environmental questions

In the early 1960s, it was concluded that Bulgaria’s water resources were insufficient to meet the needs of agriculture. As a result, large-scale construction of artificial water reservoirs began across the country.   Between 1950 and 1985,..

published on 5/13/25 2:23 PM

Students from Bulgaria and the USA set out to trace Bulgarian-Americans

Bulgarian students from both Bulgaria and the USA embarked on a journey to trace the history of Bulgarian-Americans, spending two years researching the story of Bulgarian emigration to America. Their efforts have been documented in the film “In the..

published on 5/12/25 3:10 PM

Royal symbols from the Second Bulgarian Kingdom adorn sgraffito pottery by the new master craftsmen

There is a special workshop for pottery - of the royal kind – used by the boyar families from the time of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12 th – 14 th C.) in what was once the capital of Bulgaria – Veliko Tarnovo. The workshop is located at the..

published on 5/12/25 1:10 PM