The land that now forms the country of Bulgaria has changed hands often through the centuries; it has been associated with the Roman and Ottoman empires — some of the greatest empires the world has ever known. Home to one of the oldest capital cities in Europe, Bulgaria has a rich and lengthy history. Read on to find out more about this beautiful Balkan country.
今日的保加利亞國土，幾世紀歷經受不同政權統治，一些世人耳聞過的偉大帝國如羅馬和鄂圖曼土耳其帝國都與其相關。保加利亞擁有歐洲最古老的首都之一，和豐富而悠久的歷史。
讓我們一起深入了解這個美麗的巴爾幹國度。
PHOTO: EPA
A closer look:
Bulgaria is often known for its sometimes violent military history. It has been an independent state for centuries at a time, but it has also been part of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. The Bulgarian people have experienced a lot of oppression at the hands of their political enemies, both in their own countries and abroad.
More recently, Bulgaria had a troubled last century, including a period of communist dictatorship. In the past few decades, however, Bulgaria has been improving slowly and its future looks bright.
Military history aside, the culture of the Bulgarian people is full of delightful tradition. It has been influenced by several other cultures, including Slavic, Russian, Thracian, Turkish and Greek traditions. The Bulgarian people have exerted their own influence on their neighbors as well; the Cyrillic alphabet they coined 1,000 years ago is still widely used today. Many old cultural festivals are still practiced in parts of Bulgaria.
The Kukeri festival was begun by the ancient Thracians and takes place at the end of winter. Men dress up in frightening masks, bright clothes and copper bells and dance and sing to scare away any evil spirits that may have come over the winter. But men don't get all the fun in Bulgaria. A combination of pagan and Christian traditions, the Nestinari are female “fire dancers” who dance on top of burning embers to gain spirtitual powers. This tradition is also believed to come from the Thracians who may have danced similarly during Dionysian rituals.
歷史上不時有軍事暴亂，常是一般人對保加利亞的印象。她曾獨立過幾世紀，卻也一度淪為羅馬帝國、拜占庭帝國和鄂圖曼土耳其帝國的領土。保加利亞人民在國內外都曾飽受政治敵對者的壓迫。
近代的保加利亞，在上世紀歷經風雨，包括共產獨裁時期。然而過去幾十年來，保加利亞正緩慢進步中，且前程似錦。
撇開歷史上的軍事不談，保加利亞人的文化充滿了樂天的傳統，同時也受到其他文化影響，包括斯拉夫、俄羅斯、色雷斯、土耳其和希臘傳統。保加利亞人亦對鄰國發揮影響力，他們一千年前發明的西里爾字母至今仍被廣泛使用，而部分保加利亞地區仍承襲許多古老的文化節慶。
由古代色雷斯人開始流傳的庫克里節係於冬末舉行，男人會戴上令人害怕的面具，身著色彩鮮豔的服裝和銅鈴，跳跳唱唱，以驅退可能在冬季的惡靈。不過尋樂可不是保加利亞男子的專利，結合異教和基督教傳統的奈斯迪那利火舞，是由一群女子在燃燒的餘燼上起舞，以獲取靈力。這項傳統據信是出自色雷斯人酒神節中類似的舞蹈。
（翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
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