“Yes” and “No” Gestures

In most cultures the gesture of nodding one’s head expresses agreement. And the opposite – head shaking shows disagreement. This body language is almost universal and comes naturally to everyone. Even diversely different cultures which developed independently use the same gestures when saying “yes” or “no”. Bulgarians, however, are an exception.

In Bulgaria, a head shake means “yes” and a nod means “no”. If the person you are speaking to knows you are a foreigner he might express himself in the normal way, like the rest of the world. This, however, brings even more confusion to the conversation. In such cases it is best to make sure if the person means “да” (yes) or “не” (no) verbally.

This is one of the biggest examples of how the Bulgarian culture differs from any other. In this section, we will add more articles in future which will help you understand Bulgaria better.