This year, our garden gave us a big surprise: a lot of pumpkins. We planted them with love and a bit of hope, but we didn’t expect them to grow so well.
What makes this harvest even more special is that it came during one of the toughest summers Bulgaria has seen in decades. The summer of 2025 was one of the driest on record, ranking among the driest since the mid-20th century and possibly one of the top three hottest and driest in the last 75 years. Rainfall dropped to less than half of what’s normal, leaving much of the country’s agriculture struggling and rivers running low.
It was a clear reminder of how much the climate is changing and how precious water truly is. We’re incredibly blessed here at RisingSoul to have our own water source, fed by clean mountain springs. That natural flow of life made it possible for our pumpkins and other garden crops to survive and even thrive through what was the driest summer in Bulgaria for decades.
So when we saw our garden bursting with bright orange pumpkins despite the heat and drought, we knew it wasn’t just luck. It was resilience, and a bit of nature’s grace. It felt too good to just keep for ourselves. So we thought: let’s celebrate this harvest, share it with everyone, and make something beautiful out of it. That’s how the idea for our first Pumpkin Festival was born.
It’s our way of saying thank you to the land for its quiet strength, and to the people around us for being such kind and supportive neighbors. We wanted to create a day that brings everyone together, a day that’s fun, cozy, and a little bit different from the usual.
Why Pumpkins?
Because they represent everything we love about this season: warmth, abundance, reativity, and food that brings people together. You can eat them, carve them, decorate with them, and after such a good harvest, it just made sense to make them the center of our celebration.
And honestly, we just love any excuse to gather people, share food, and enjoy a bit of music and laughter before winter comes. We’ll also be doing a small fundraiser for the local church, as a way to give back to the community that’s been so welcoming to us since we started growing roots here. A Mix of Traditions: England’s Halloween and Bulgaria’s Way of Honoring the Dead.
Since some of us at RisingSoul are from England, we couldn’t help but think about how back home, this time of year means Halloween: pumpkin carving, costumes, candles, and that fun mix of spooky and cozy.
But Halloween actually has deeper roots than just scary costumes. It goes back thousands of years to the Celtic festival of Samhain, when people marked the end of the harvest season and believed the boundary between the living and the dead was thinner. They would light fires, leave offerings, and honor those who had passed : something that feels close to what people still do here in Bulgaria, in their own way.
In Bulgaria, Halloween isn’t really celebrated, but there’s something beautiful about the way Bulgarians remember their dead. You see it everywhere: the necrologs (memorial notices) on trees and walls, the family gatherings to share food and prayers, the quiet respect that lives in these traditions.
It’s not about fear or costumes. It’s about remembrance and connection. And honestly, that feels much closer to the original spirit of these old harvest festivals. So our Pumpkin Festival isn’t trying to bring Halloween here. It’s more about blending a bit of that harvest joy with the Bulgarian sense of community and remembrance. It’s about celebrating the cycle of life, being grateful for what we have, and spending time together before winter settles in.
What’s Happening at the Festival
We’re keeping it simple, local, and real — just good people, good food, and good vibes.
2:00 PM to 6:00 PM | Chai House Open
The Chai House will open its doors for the afternoon, serving pumpkin-inspired treats, both raw and baked, along with spiced lattes and warm drinks. There will be live festival music and plenty of cozy corners to sit, relax, and enjoy the day. For the little ones, we’ll have a Trick or Treat and Treasure Hunt full of playful surprises and sweet rewards.
6:00 PM to 10:00 PM | Campfire Evening
As the sun goes down, we’ll gather around the campfires for songs, storytelling, and connection under the stars. There will be pumpkin pie, warm drinks, and fireworks to close the night with a sparkle. All evening long you can expect pumpkin carving and decorating, a fundraiser box for the local church, music, laughter, and warm company.
Why We’re Doing It
We’ve had such a good year growing pumpkins, and it felt right to celebrate it with the people around us. We’ve had so much kindness from our neighbors from helping hands ~ to shared smiles~ and this festival is just a little way of saying thanks.
We love the idea of starting something that could become a yearly tradition, not just for us, but for the whole area. A celebration of harvest, gratitude, and community, reminding us that even in the driest seasons, life finds a way to grow.
Join Us
So come by, bring your friends, bring your appetite, or just come to hang out. Let’s carve pumpkins, eat, laugh, and share the simple joy of being together. Because that’s really what this season, and this life, is all about.
