Since 2007 Bulgarian language has been one of the official languages of the 24 European Union. Almost 15 million people around the world, both in Bulgaria and abroad, currently speak it.[1]
Brief history of Bulgarian language
Did you know that the Bulgarian country is the only one in Europe that has not changed its name since it was formed? One of the other amazing things about this state is also the language.
Bulgarian language is one of the 50 languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet.[1] Among the others are Belarusian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Montenegrin (spoken in Montenegro; also called Serbian), Russian, Serbian, Tajik (a dialect of Persian), Turkmen, Ukrainian, and Uzbek.[2]
“The Cyrillic alphabet was created at the beginning of the second half of the 9th century by Cyril and Methodius, two aristocratic brothers who occupied high positions in the Byzantine court. The exact year is 855 AD as marked by Greek and Bulgarian sources (Chernorizets Hrabar).
In 893 AD, after the alphabetization of large part of the Bulgarian people, and after the rewriting of several sacred books into Cyrillic, King Boris I declares that the Cyrillic alphabet and the new writing are the official language of the State and Church during a national Meeting (most powerful institution in medieval Bulgaria).”[3] Today on 24th May Bulgarians celebrate the Bulgarian language, script, and culture and the day the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the brothers who invented the Cyrillic script.
Funny Bulgarian Proverbs
Proverbs are a unique part of the Bulgarian language. Many of them use animals as main “characters”. Here are some of the most famous proverbs that we hope will make your day 🙂
The original Bulgarian proverb is: Видяла жабата, че подковават коня и тя вдигнала крак.
The original Bulgarian proverb is: Гладна мечка хоро не играе.
The original Bulgarian proverb is: Правиш от мухата слон.
The original Bulgarian proverb is: Отиде конят в реката.
The original Bulgarian proverb is: Храни куче да те лае.
The original Bulgarian proverb is: Гладна кокошка просо сънува.
The original Bulgarian proverb is: Една лястовица пролет не прави.
Proverbs are an essential part of every language and its heritage and small gems of wisdoms. We hope you enjoyed our small collection of Bulgarian proverbs that are used in even nowadays in everyday conversations.
References:
1. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2022. Cyrillic alphabet | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cyrillic-alphabet. [Accessed 25 January 2022].
2. Silver Bay Trans. 2022. Facts And History About The Bulgarian Language. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.silverbaytrans.com/post/facts-and-history-about-the-bulgarian-language. [Accessed 25 January 2022].
3. Timenova-Valtcheva, Zlatka. The Old Bulgarian Language: between Myth and Reality. Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa. CLEPUL. Available online at: https://europe-nations.estudosculturais.com/pdf/0018i.pdf [accessed 25.01.2022].
4. europe-nations.estudosculturais.com. 2022. No page title. [ONLINE] Available at: https://europe-nations.estudosculturais.com/pdf/0018i.pdf. [Accessed 25 January 2022].
[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica.2022.
[2] ibid.
[3] Timenova-Valtcheva, Zlatka. The Old Bulgarian Language: between Myth and Reality
[1] Silver Bay Trans. 2022.