The banitsa is a traditional Bulgarian bakery, which consists of rolled up or layered sheets of loose dough with stuffing between them.  Various fillings are used – most often cheese or cottage cheese, with or without added eggs. The dish can also be made with vegetables, meat, fruits and so on. It is usually baked in an oven.

The Banitsa is a dish that is present on almost every festive table of the Bulgarian. The more popular festivities where a banitsa is on our table are Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year. At one of the three holidays, depending on the family’s traditions, a banista with lucky notes is made. Even after all these years, the banitsa continues to be at the centre of the Bulgarian table and the Bulgarian folklore.

This is the third consecutive year that the Banitsa fest will be held in Karantsi village. The tradition started in 2015. At the first fest, there were a total of 54 banitsas made, featuring almost all shapes and fillings of the dish. The most popular one is “Makarina”, a speciality of the village. The recipe has been passed down through the generations since the Turkish times and is being prepared in the village of Karantsi to this day.

This year it is expected there will be even more of the delicious baked goods. As a bonus to the fest, there will be an authentic old wedding ceremony from 1900. The initiator of the event is Vesselina Genova, chairman of the local community center “Probuda-Karantsi 1897”. The screenplay for the wedding is ready and the main roles are distributed before the event, which will be at 10 am in the square in the village. All of the traditional wedding ceremonies will be held, including a throw of the veil. The young family Silvia and Milen Minchev will be the bride and groom, which will be dressed in traditional old local folk costumes.

If you are in the Veliko Tarnovo district or anywhere near it, you should definitely check out the banitsa fest.

Source:  www.vt-today.com