Difference in Indian and Bulgarian Winter

Indian and Bulgarian Winter.

Indian and Bulgarian winter, Is there really a comparison? Having spent quite some time in both the countries, I decided to jot down some fun facts.

Indian Winters.

1. The average low temperatures range between 10-15 degree Celsius across the country. The northern regions near the Himalayas get some snowfall, and temperatures in Northern parts dip down close to 5 degrees quite often.
2. The period lasts from Mid-November to End of February and is the ideal time to visit India as a tourist, if you do not like extreme heat and Humidity in the summer.
3. Indian Winters are very dry with less humidity, chapped lips and extremely dry skin is pretty common. Carrying a moisturizer and lip balm is an absolute necessity.

Fun facts.

1. The temperatures have to hit 15 degrees and people pull out their cardigans and stoles, Winter is here, it’s so cold! It will look really odd to Europeans traveling to the country.
2. People from Delhi always like to troll people from Mumbai or Southern India in winter. 

In Bangalore once I made the mistake of saying how cold it is, and got to listen to a lecture on how winters are not cold there and to experience the real one I need to go to Delhi.

Cutting chai – Half a cup of tea becomes the national drink during winters, you will find people around road side tea vendors throughout the day, trying to warm themselves with the concoction.

Across the country, on colder mornings around dawn, you will find groups of people huddled around a small fire trying to keep themselves warm. Even strangers stop by to get some warmth before moving on.

Monkey caps are the most common headgear during this period, not only amongst school going kids, but also adults.

Street food business across the country picks up with people craving for warm food. Vada pav in Mumbai, Samosas and Chana Batura in North, Chow chow Bhat in south India with a cuppa filter coffee become an essential part of your life.

Bulgarian Winters.

1. For people from the subcontinent, winter in Bulgaria might get a bit harsh. In the mountains, the temperatures can range between -15 to -30 degrees Celsius. On an average, the temperatures range between 0 degrees to 15 degrees during day and night.
2. There are times when it snows and is extremely windy with wind speeds close to 30-45 km per hour, which can bring the feel factor down to – 10 to -15, and one can feel its sting.
3. Snow is not common is the coastal towns. We stay 23 km away from Varna, at close to 400 m elevation. We get about 15 to 30 snow days during winter, while Varna might get one or two.

Here is a short, two-minute video of a Bulgarian village in Winter.

Fun facts. 

Winter is a ski lover’s dream come true in Bulgaria. The ski resorts at Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo are pretty famous in the region.

Did you know Bulgaria is a leading destination for healing hot water springs? Imagine sitting in a hot water pool when it’s sub-zero outside .

Every house in a village has a heating system which uses chopped wood which also double up as a cooking stove during the winter. In the cities, people rely more on modern systems like pellet burners and air conditioners, which double up as heaters. The favorite drink during winters is mulled wine. A mixture of wine sweetened with sugar and spices, and herbs consumed warm is almost therapeutic. 

In villages, people still follow the traditional way of growing and harvesting produce and preparing it for winter. It includes not only cured meat, variety of cheese but also vegetables which are stored using age-old traditional methods.

During Christmas koleduvane, a tradition of singing traditional carols by the Koledari (traditional performers) blessing houses, is something that needs to be seen and experienced.

If you are looking for street food in Bulgaria, you are going to be disappointed. The maximum you can get is local delicacies like a banitsa, and variations of croissants, which you can buy from small bakeries and have on the move. 

So, all in all, if you are looking for milder winters visit India, and the subcontinent but if snow is your thing, Bulgaria is a good option with the ski resorts and hot water springs during winter.

In the next article we will take you through the tradition of Koleduvane.:) In the meantime, have you read about the Belogradchick rocks, which Elon Musk had tweeted about?