The only holiday in Bulgaria dedicated to the Paradise apple /Japanese Persimmon/ will be held for the 11th year in the village of Hristeni, Stara Zagora. The fun, which gathers guests from near and far, always takes place during the penultimate Saturday of November. This year’s celebration will be held on November 18th. The tradition calls for the whole village to gain strength in the different parts of the holiday. Each year, the biggest fruit and the most delicious cake made with paradise apples are chosen from the audience.

If you visit the festival in the village of Hristeni, do not miss to try the unique apple rakia. The reason for the village to hold a fair dedicated to the sweet fruit every year is that in the yards of the local grow nearly 200 trees of paradise apples. According to their stories, their cultivation began about 80 years ago. Then local priest Nicholas, who was a friend of Tsar Boris III’s gardener, brought the first 16 fruit trees.

Paradise apple carries its divine name for its valuable qualities as a fruit. It is very rich in vitamins and minerals, especially C and A vitamins. The sweet fruit is useful for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, acts beneficial on exacerbating vision and slows the aging of the skin. Paradise apple becomes even more delicious when it begins to despise and decay, and according to some, it is sweeter when the fruit can already be eaten only with a scoop.