Christmas in Bulgaria

Christianity is the predominant faith in the eastern European nation of Bulgaria, though the country also hosts a sizeable Muslim minority (13 percent). Most Bulgarians who profess the Christian faith are Orthodox. Like other Orthodox Christians around the world, they fast during Advent, the period of spiritual preparation that precedes the Christmas festival. For the strictly observant, this means avoiding wine, meat, and dairy products for the duration of the fast, which ends on December 25.