End of summer season

These first weeks of November mark the last moments of late autumn. The weather is still warm and nice, but that is about to change by the end of the month and beginning of October.

The summer tourist season might be coming to an end, but we at SEMA Express are still ready to take in requests and make arrangements, any time of the year, any day of the week at any time.

Best choice youth hostel in Sofia

SEMA Express would like to present a great youth hostel apartment choice for cheap stay in the center of Sofia. The location is perfectly situated for travelers on foot, since the subway station, tram and bus stations are within 2-3 minutes walking distance. Prices vary, depending on season, starting from 10 euro per person, per night.

If you are interested, feel free to send an inquiry to info (at) sema-bg (dot) com.

Here are some pictures:

Kotooshu and Aoiyama

Kaloyan Mahlyanov /Kotooshu/ posted a great picture on his blog, that we would like to share with you. It's of himself and the other Bulgarian aspiring star in the sumo tournaments - Daniel Ivanov /Aoiyama/. Our hearts go to our Bulgarian sumo champions, hoping for great future successes in the most prestigious dohyos in Japan!

Summer Dance Tour Update

There are still open spots left for our exciting new Summer Dance 2010 program, so we would like to invite you to take a closer look at the program: click here.

If you would like to participate, kindly download and send us the following registration form, either by fax or by the e-mails listed in the form.

Thank you for reading our blog and taking your time to check out our offers!

March 1st, beginning of spring and Baba Marta

One of Bulgaria's unique holidays is Baba Marta ("Grandmother March"). Baba Marta was believed to have an easily shifting, volatile temper, smiling at one moment and frowning at another.

So on the 1st of March, in order to appease Baba Marta and soothe her temper, people attach "martenitsa" on their clothes, wrists or necks. Martenitsas were usually made of intertwined red and white threads. Those colors bear a strong symbolic meaning - red stands for blood/life, white stands for purity and happiness. In some parts of Bulgaria, martenitsas are made with a blue thread instead of white - where blue stands for health and longevity.

Nowadays, the creation of martenitsas is intertwined the folkloric figures of Pizho (male) and Penda (female):

The traditional belief states that people must wear martenitsa until they see a stork, swallow or a blooming tree and when they finally do, to tie it on a tree branch. This was believed to bring good luck and health.

Tours planned for summer of 2010

SEMA Express is proud to present to you an exciting folk dance and folklore tour we have organized along with experienced tour leaders Stefan & Bogdan Vaglarov. Tour length is 8 days and 9 nights, takes place in several of Bulgaria's cities - Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Koprivshtitsa and more. Professional folk dance teachers will assist you in learning traditional Bulgarian folk dances, ensuring memories and entertainment to remember this tour by!

For a more detailed information regarding this particular folk dance and folklore tour, feel free to browse the Tours section of our website.

In addition, we are planning to organize more exciting tours, related to the Rose Festival, held in the Valley of Roses. Those festivals attract more and more visitors each year, due to their unique style and tradition, reflecting the lifestyle, culture and soul of the entire Kazanlak region, and are held each year in the beginning of June. Please check back again soon, as we plan to release preliminary information regarding those tours soon!