Did you know that some of the least-known or visited European countries are in the Balkans?
Despite that fact the Balkans are one of the most diverse regions on the continent, both in culture and nature.
For millenia they’ve been the crossroad between Europe and Asia, the North and the Mediterranean. The result is a one-of-a-kind melting pot, densely-packed with archeological findings and layers of culture and history.
While there is no universal agreement on the region’s components, our take on the Balkans is rather inclusive: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and a corner of Turkey.
12 countries! Wholly or partially Balkan!
Now you understand why Balkan culture is so diverse and multifaceted!
What’s more: Balkan culture is living.
Balkan people never severed ties with their roots and traditions. This is evident in the numerous sustained customs and festivities which take place in the region throughout the year. These include traditional celebrations such as the fire-dancers of Bulgaria, the Croatian Zvončari, the carpet making tradition of Chiprovtsi, the Turkish tea ritual, the Greek Carnival Season and Guca festival, which gathers the gypsy orchestras of Serbia and beyond.
Balkan culture, as well as many traditions, tend to overlap from one region to another. Many of these Balkan rites are not country-specific and exist across a large territory, regardless of borders, national or linguistic identity. One such example is the Christmas Eve “coin bread” – in Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece it is customary to place a coin in the festive bread before Christmas. Whoever gets it will be lucky and healthy for the year ahead!
The value of many Balkan traditions has also been recognized by UNESCO: how the Bulgarians dance on live coal, the Croatians make laces, the Romanians – Horezu Ceramics – and the Greeks – craft marble. And there’s much more!
The Balkans are indeed very rich when it comes to history yet the traditional rites and customs are one true treasure for the region. This abundence, paired with our curiousity, led to the idea of creating a book about Balkan customs and traditions.
In the book we collect and present the stories and meaning of the most interesting Balkan customs and provide relevant information about where and when to experience them.
Balkan Wanders was conceived by Nikoleta Teodosieva during her graphic design studies and was gradually formed in concept and visuals as a story-telling platform. This project is a result of the team work of Nikoleta, Svetlozara and Emil, who patiently worked on filming, editing and correcting this project’s video.
Nikoleta is a designer who loves culture and travelling. She is the founder of digital agency Forthright Sofia and has worked on a number of communication projects in travel, culture and well-being. She has developed the identity and concept framework of Balkan Wanders and has completed another project, focused on travel and culture – Bulgarian Journeys. Her hobbies include reading and yoga and she likes to spend her free time with friends and out in nature.
Zara is a Cultural Studies graduate whose love for the animal world compelled her to later divote herself to biodiversity and zoology. She is currently a PhD student and an event and communication expert at the Plovdiv Museum of Natural Sciences. She is also an avid supporter of Balkan Wanders and helps out whenever possible!
Emil is a field assistant in a Vulture Conservation project. His love for nature and the outdoors has also defined his education – a Master’s degree in Ecology, environmental control and management, and the way he spends his free time – preferably mountain hiking. He is keen about filming and videography and his passion has led him to start the video-making brand POGLED and to create the video for this project!
Balkan Wanders is here thanks to the crucial support of independent artist and designer Jesus Acevedo, based in Berlin, Germany.
Last but not least – the project’s video was made with the help of everyone who agreed to be filmed and patiently reply to our seemingly orderless questions! Thank you!
We would like to document and make Balkan culture and traditions more accessible and for that we need your support.
We have prepared some rewards to express our appreciation for your help: a Balkan Wanders poster design, featuring the words for Cheers in six Balkan languages, a digital exerpt of the book, featuring 10 unique customs, and of course – the book itself!
Balkan Wanders “Cheers” Poster
You can also help us grow by becoming part of the Balkan Wanders community on Instagram and Facebook. This is where we share photos, stories and curious facts about the Balkans.
Through travelling, sharing stories – our own or of other travellers on Facebook and Instagram – and our background in Cultural Studies, we’ve gathered a good portion of general kowledge about Balkan culture and a framework of how to structure and present the information. We have a clear idea about Balkan Wanders and its mission – to promote Balkan culture as well as more mindful and sustainable ways of travelling. With our experience in design and communication, we believe we can create an interesting and meaningful book about Balkan customs and traditions. We understand the importance of both substance and form, and for this reason we aim to create well-curated stories, presented in a beautifully-designed layout with carefully-selected photography. The base budget will cover the costs for photography and creative recources, publishing costs and the associated taxes. Nevertheless we can’t plan everything ahead and working with third party professionals may result in unexpected situations or delays. In such instances we hope to be excused, we are only human, just like you :-)