Yes and No in Bulgaria
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007Yes and No in Bulgaria - about.com
Be careful when nodding to mean “yes” and shaking your head when you mean “no” in Bulgaria–Bulgarians do it the opposite way! However, if they know they are speaking with a foreigner, they may accomodate by reversing the motions. Just be sure that it’s clear what set of standards they are using (and which they think you are using!) when conducting everyday transactions.
Nodding to indicate rejection
In some countries (Bulgaria and Sri Lanka) nodding actually has the opposite meaning: “no”.
Rumor has it that during World War II in Bulgaria, people were trained to reverse the meaning of shaking and nodding heads in an attempt to confuse spies who had infiltrated the country. The habit stuck and now depending on the individual, people in Bulgaria can use shaking and nodding one’s head for both meanings.
