Culture of Bulgaria

The culture of Bulgaria has deep roots in the traditions of the Slavic peoples who settled the Balkans in the early Middle Ages, with influence from Byzantine civilisation, Thracian heritage, medieval Bulgarian statehood, Eastern Christianity and the cultural interaction of the Ottoman period. Thracian heritage in the Bulgarian lands includes numerous temples, tombs, golden treasures and ancient ritual traditions. Some customs with pre-Christian roots, such as Kukeri, Martenitsa and rites connected with seasonal fertility, remain part of modern Bulgarian culture. The oldest known treasure of worked gold in the world, dating back to the 5th millennium BC, comes from the site of the Varna Necropolis.