There exist many ways to wish someone luck around the world, but what is done in Bulgaria has to rank among the most curious.
When one leaves home for a key event in their life like the first day of school, a decisive exam or an important competition, it is a custom to spill a copper vessel of water in front of the doorstep, so that literally “it [your success] may go on water for you”. And when a bride leaves home before the wedding, she kicks a copper vessel full of water too!
Typically, this tradition is followed up by giving the person a cranesbill plant, a Bulgarian symbol of health and prosperity. Indeed, there seems to be an entire ceremony for ensuring success! before a student leaves for school on the morning of the 15th, one of the family members – usually the mother – should pour a bucket of water in front of the doorstep.
This presumably assures that throughout the coming schoolyear the process of studying will flow „as easy as water“ for the child. The headmaster or one of the teachers usually repeats the ritual in front of the school door. Just before the students enter the building for their first classes.
