Bulgarian Tradition For a Baby?

Question

Hi, my neighbors just came round to give me a slice of bread to celebrate their young sons first steps. They told me this is a Bulgarian tradition to give bread when a child first starts to walk.

This was very nice of them, my question is: is there anything i can do give to them to celebrate this occasion, traditionally?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer 1

This is what I found on Wiki.....

Bulgaria

Bread and salt (Bulgarian: хляб и сол, transliterated hlyab i sol) is a traditional Bulgarian custom expressing hospitality, showing that the guest is welcomed. The bread and salt is commonly presented to guests by a woman. It should be noted that usually Bulgarians make a certain type of bread for this occasion called pogacha, which is flat, fancy, and decorated. Regular bread is not usually used, although it may have been historically, but pogacha is much more common in this custom.

Usually guests are presented with the pogacha, and the guest is supposed to take a small piece, dip into the salt and eat it. This custom is common for official visits regardless of whether the guest is foreign or Bulgarian. One notable example of this custom is when the Russians came to liberate Bulgaria from the Ottomans at the end of the 19th century. A common scene from that period was of a Bulgarian village woman welcoming Russian soldiers with bread and salt as a sign of gratitude.

I'd just invite them over for a nice, relaxed dinner -- since the baby is now walking -- they're going to be on the run for a couple of years!!!