The New Meaning of Sending Gifts to Bulgaria during the COVID-19 Era

We can all agree that these are difficult times that are anything but normal. As we try to figure our way through the maze of misinformation, none of us is sure weather to believe the main stream media news coming out of the tube or the conspiracy theories being offered by the alternative media websites and You Tube channels. Regardless of what version of reality you decide to subscribe to, one thing remains true is that we all need to continue and move forward somehow.

And this includes major and not so major life celebrations with friends and family. We will not have the same access to our loved ones but this does not mean we should not acknowledge the importance of these occasions. COVID-19 has forced us to re-imagine the way we show gratitude to others, the way we engage in the social "dance" and the way we participate in our societal duties. Sending a gift to a loved one in Bulgaria from overseas has become the norm with which many compatriots express their affection towards a friend a family member in Bulgaria or newly found live partner that just happens to be a Bulgarian.

Despite the current trends and fads in gifting, one fact deserving attention is that most of the gifts are culturally oriented with a strong nostalgia overtones. These will include variety of Bulgarian distilled rakia (form of Shnaps), definitely "luteniza" and other red peppers and tomatoes based spreads, as well as numerous Bulgarian native dry salami, cold meets, feta cheese and vegetable preserves that are popular as a "meze" throughout the Balkans and all regions of Bulgaria.