by Ronesa Aveela | Apr 12, 2024 | Artists, Books, Bulgaria, Bulgarian Art, Kickstarter, Mythology and Folklore, Rituals and Traditions
It’s almost time for our Kickstarter campaign to start. Tuesday, April 16 is launch day for our special edition of our book Light Love Rituals. This is a special project. Light Love Rituals is more than a book—it’s a piece of my soul, a way to share my upbringing, my...
by Ronesa Aveela | Mar 29, 2024 | Books, Holidays, Kickstarter, Mythology and Folklore, Rituals and Traditions
Easter is one of the most holy days in the Christian religion. For the western world, the holiday falls on this coming Sunday, March 31, but the Orthodox will celebrate it on May 5 this year. Bulgarians call the day Velikden, or “Great Day.” Rituals and beliefs about...
by Ronesa Aveela | Mar 8, 2024 | Bulgarian Art, Kickstarter, Rituals and Traditions
Kickstarter campaign update: Our Kickstarter campaign for Light Love Rituals is available now for preview. Please take a look and feel free to give us any feedback before we launch the campaign next month. Unlike other campaigns, we’re not offering digital rewards...
by Ronesa Aveela | Feb 2, 2024 | Artists, Books, Mythology and Folklore
February is the month of wine and roses, with Valentine’s Day celebrated on February 14. This day is also when Bulgarians celebrate Trifonovden, a day focused on vineyards. Many theories abound about the origins of winemaking. Scholars debate who first brought...
by Ronesa Aveela | Dec 1, 2023 | Books, Holidays, Kickstarter, Mythology and Folklore
December 6 is Nikulden, a festival in honor of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker, the saint associated with Christmas. He’s the patron of children, fishermen, sailors, bankers, and merchants. He’s also considered to be in charge of controlling all water bodies and reigns...
by Ronesa Aveela | Nov 10, 2023 | Mythology and Folklore
If you type the word русалка (rusalka, plural rusalki) into a translation program, it will spit back “mermaid.” That is how westerners think about these water maidens. However, although they have characteristics of mermaids, rusalki lack one essential feature—fish...
by Ronesa Aveela | Oct 13, 2023 | Books, Bulgaria, Mythology and Folklore
The Water Bull has been described as a Bulgarian Loch Ness monster. Except, I don’t think any folktales exist the Nessie was tamed by love, not that Nessie is considered a vicious monster to start with. The similarities between the two creatures exist in the fact that...
by Ronesa Aveela | Oct 6, 2023 | Books, Mythology and Folklore
In folklore, the Ispolini were a race of people the gods created after the Dzhudzheta, the little people or dwarves. They died out because their slight height prevented them from being able to protect themselves from wild animals. They also found themselves inept at...
by Ronesa Aveela | Sep 26, 2023 | Eastern Europe, History, Mythology and Folklore, Rituals and Traditions
The Western world is filled with stories of blood-sucking vampires that they say came from Slavic lands. In fact, the original Slavic vampire was not a Dracula-clone. This blood-sucking behavior was transferred to Slavic vampires only after the graves of supposed...
by Ronesa Aveela | Sep 15, 2023 | art, Books, Kickstarter, Mythology and Folklore
The Firebird (Zhar-ptitsa) is a creature found in the wonder tale (volshebnaia skazka). She represents a rare treasure. Her eyes are crystals, and her feathers are silvery, golden, or orange-red and glow like embers. A single feather shines brighter than numerous...