Colours of 2024: A Year of Vibrant Memories
JANUARY – Red
I dedicate January to the colour of love, red. Specific to the month, the colour denotes the unique architecture of Kolkata, India. Kolkata is an ancient city and before the East India Company chose it for their India headquarters, and colonial architecture swamped the core of the city, Kolkata flaunted its own unique, classic architecture. The zamindars, the bourgeoise, the 'Richie Rich' of the city built huge palaces and mansions for their living. The most unique aspect about it was the colour red.
This photograph belongs to Rabindranath Tagore’s house in Kolkata, ‘The Jorasanko Thakur Bari’ built in the year 1784. Not only the legendary Tagore’s house, but many mansions in Kolkata looked adorned in colour red. One of them being my mother’s ancestral home in central Kolkata. My best childhood memories belong to that little mansion house, with red flooring, classic green windows with thick iron grills on them, with an extended part in the same red, my favourite space to stand and peep out of the tiny vertical empty space in between two sturdily standing grills.
Once upon a time red ruled in Kolkata. And that's how the year began.
FEBRUARY – White
And as I was back to white Bulgaria in February, the colour of the month was surely white. The favourite memories of February are associated with a small hill town, Velingrad, which is also known as the ‘Thermal Spa capital of the Balkans’.
It is a cute and cozy small town, where mostly the population knows each other. I would sit in a café, that could be easily owned by Barbie, with an espresso and some sweet delight, watching people greet with a warm hug, as they accidentally bumped into each other in the café.
Walking around the town was equally delightful, as one could easily end up on the top of a meadow after a short walk and enjoy the rest of the view from there.
The most memorable moment was visiting this small village just 10 minutes away from Velingrad, Draginovo. I discovered the village on google map and it was a conscious choice to drop a visit, especially the café looked alluring.
It’s a small village, where the faith being practiced is Islam. Rhodope mountain region has many such villages where the whole population follows Islam. This is due to the 500 year old Ottoman rule in Bulgaria, during which, many villages embraced Islam as their main religion.
The village was a delight too. We chatted with the young girl working in the café for a while. She was so excited to learn that we are from India, and probably surprised to see an Indian couple in her little village, out of so many other interesting places.
But insignificant places have a lot more personal experiences to offer. And that is what I find fascinating.
We took our place on the terrace with two cappuccinos and some munchies and immersed ourselves in the beauty of the views that the terrace offered.
Coming back the colour white, major part of the country was still white. We happened to visit one of the peaks in the Rila Mountains, Belmeken Reservoir. The water was a large chunk of ice, frozen to the last point. And driving up to that point was an adventure in itself. The road to the reservoir was snowy and icy, and quite uneven, making the drive not so comfortable and a bit scary. Wonder why the road could not be kept in proper shape! Most of the people left their cars somewhere mid-way and started walking on the icy, snow covered road. It was a better choice, we understood later.
February was an angelic white!
MARCH – Pink
The first day of March is celebrated in Bulgaria with much fanfare, Baba Martha Day. (Grandma Marta Day). Martenitsas, usually in the form of a wrist band, small yarn dolls, or tassels, are created by combining red and white coloured threads and are worn on that day and throughout March. Everyone gifts Martenitsas to their friends and loved ones. They are worn until a stork or a swallow is seen, symbolizing the coming of spring, warmer weather, and well-being. Once the stork or a swallow appears the Martenitsa is taken off and hung on a blooming tree. Trees in Bulgaria turn colourful with Martenitsas during spring.
The history behind this is that it was more like a prayer, so that winter leaves and spring arrives as winters have always been very harsh in this country.
Not just the trees, but the entire landscape of Bulgaria begins to burst with color in March. Flowers bloom, grasses turn the fields green, and everything that had been dormant over the past few months comes back to life.
Sunny days are back, parks get back to life with adults lazing on the grass while children find their peace in running around.
APRIL – Green
By April the entire landscape turns green. What a relief it is to see the mountains fully draped in their green clothes. Feels like the world turned green after such a long time, almost 4-5 months.
The thought that crosses my mind during this month is that we mortal beings always take the simplest of sights around us for granted, like a tree filled with leaves. But when the same trees shed their ornaments to respect the significance of autumn, we are aghast by the bare branches, as if these trees have suddenly opened up the deep secrets of their hearts, baring it all, leaving us in premonition of uncertainty, unable to comprehend how much should we absorb, and how much we let go off.
So, come April and the grand Balkans go green. The magic of hiking in the forest trails return. And all of it brings back a different level of liveliness in the hearts of the population.
We too went on winding drives in the mountains, spent some time walking aimlessly in the forests and didn’t miss to enjoy a hearty meal at our favourite restaurant by the waterfall, very close to Lakatnik Gara. The waterfall comes flowing from above in rhythmic movements, like an ‘apsara’s dance’ if I may refer to Hindu mythology, and merges gracefully with river Iskar, just a step below the road.
This being the most memorable memory of April, it is time to welcome the season of sea.
MAY – Blue
As May arrives, the sea begins to call. The water may still be chilly, but the view is soothing enough to heal our hearts and souls after a long gap.
May was about the beautiful blue of Black Sea and this charming old town, Balchik. Well, the colour of Black Sea is blue and not black though. ;)
Balchik was a part of Romania once upon a time, and boasts of a grand conglomerate of palatial structures and a beautiful botanical garden that once belonged to the kingdom of Romania, in request by queen Marie, the wife of Ferdinand I of Romania.
With the sun’s warmth just perfect for outdoor adventures, May was the ideal time to explore this part of Bulgaria while enjoying breezy moments by the Black Sea. Overall, it was a truly satisfying month bathed in blue.
JUNE – Lavender
2024 was all about understanding Bulgaria a little more deeply. The unexplored places, the not so popular places, the remote places, going deep into the heart of the country became the agenda of 2024.
Bulgaria is one of the largest exporters of lavender oil along with France and China. It became essential to admire the beauty of Bulgarian lavender fields during June/July. This is over and above the rose fields of Bulgaria, which makes this country the largest exporter of rose oil in the world. Often called the "liquid gold" of Bulgaria, this precious essential oil elixir, extracted from the Damascena Rosa flower, has been a symbol of the natural wealth and cultural identity of the country for centuries.
In June, a delicate whiff of rose and lavender lingered in the air, weaving a fragrant memory with each passing breeze.
But that was not all. I uncovered remnants of the past in the land of the Thracians too. Innumerable mounds of Thracian tombs lie scattered all over Bulgaria, the main cluster being in the north eastern parts, in the region of Kazanlak. It was an intriguing exploration, touching some of those pieces of history surely gave goosebumps.
All in all, a very satisfying June.
JULY – Grey
July is summer in Bulgaria. It may be considered one of the hottest months of the year, alongside August.
Mountains give a great respite from the scorching heat of July. A unique and quaint village, Kovachevitsa, deep in the heart of the Rhodope mountains, was our hideout for a few days. The landscape was grey, that was the hue created by the interesting roofs of the entire village.
History says that this village was founded by migrants from North Macedonia, who fled their lands to flee the Ottoman empire. This village was so remote that the Ottoman Empire could never discover it. The migrants who arrived here had a special skill in building houses and they used it to create this village with love.
The place is more like an emotion, as if you got a chance to escape the madness of this bad, mad world, you disappeared from the mundaneness of your life and just arrived in another world, far away from reality, absolutely opposite of everything that feels true. Call it a dream or a lie, something that does not exist in the real world, something that you could only dream of and wonder about!
The few days spent in Kovachevitsa are among my most cherished memories of Bulgaria. Sun-soaked mornings, following a hearty, delicious breakfast. The pure joy of doing nothing—just lying under the sun, reading a book peacefully, without a care about the day’s next task, work, difficult people, or the constant pressure of earning more money.
AUGUST – Colourless
August was somewhat dreary and colourless. With summer at its peak, the only respite would be the mountains, hence the colour of water, which is basically colourless, took over the face of August. The month was a bit lifeless and grim. But life is like that, a wave of highs and lows and like little boats we got to keep sailing and trust the flow. The wind would take us to a safe harbour, always.
SEPTEMBER – Turquoise
Come September and the colourless water of my life turned turquoise. Our neighbouring country Greece, can be experienced in its most gorgeous form during this month. By September, the frenzy of July and August has faded, and the wild energy of summer gradually turns more subtle, calming with each passing day."
I love discovering niche and unknown places, everywhere in the world. Places which go unnoticed by the ‘tourists’ fascinate me the most. Agistri, a tiny island, and Aponisos, it’s hidden tinier island were one of the highlights of this month.
Picture this, the tiniest island you could ever imagine, surrounded by shades of blue, from majestic turquoise to royal blue, thatched roofed sun beds lying scattered all over the place, people sunk deep in their own tranquillity, unaware of each other’s physical presence, their trance state of mind only broken sometimes by the rhythmic sound of a splash.
Greece is a dream for the global population. A conglomerate of islands, each island adorned in its own unique way, Greece is like the ‘Elixir of eternal life’ from our Hindu mythology, which everyone wants to experience once in a lifetime, or a fairy who has the power to transport you to an unknown paradise, far from the madding crowd, gifting you a few days to feel alive!
Greece surely exudes an unmatchable warmth and is no wonder the world's favourite dream.
OCTOBER – Brown
October was not exactly brown, but after experiencing all the colours of Italy, brown lingered on for a long, long time.
Italy is a feeling, it’s a vibe, again unmatchable in the whole world. You can feel it only when you experience it in real.
The turquoise waters were still visible. It was a magical two weeks in the charming Puglia region of Italy. The places we visited were not touristy, instead we walked around the alleys and ate their delicious food like locals. Many of them could not speak English but that never stopped us from communicating with each other.
Vieste, Molfetta, Giovinazzo, Polignano a Mare, Monopoly, Ostuni, Alberobello, Bari and Matera. All these little towns stole our hearts in some or other way, but Matera continued to remain unforgettable. Hence October was the never ending expanse of a subtle brown, or something in between brown and beige maybe, the colour of Matera.
An ancient place with a unique history of its own, a once abandoned village is now a throbbing site of tourism. Some credit for this also goes to Hollywood. It was surprising to know that in an era where fighter planes were bombing Europe (WWII) and atom bombs were being dropped on Japan, some people in a remote village of Italy lived in small caves under highly unhygienic conditions. It took the efforts of an author to bring the government’s attention to it, post which the people were moved to real houses and the village was left abandoned.
Well, you take a turn in this charming little town and there’s a story to be uncovered.
NOVEMBER – Orange
Hello autumn, you are so gorgeous! November is the peak of autumn in Bulgaria and most of the other European countries. Autumn is not just a season; it's a metaphor, a bridge that links existence to life. It celebrates the beauty of life even in the absence of something, finding grace in the drifting away and falling off. The beauty of everything just before letting go is what truly deserves to be cherished, and autumn teaches us this lesson with such thoughtfulness.
So, we dedicate this month to the joy of letting go. We let go of everything that that no longer serves a positive purpose in our lives, whether it’s personal or professional relationships, and embracing what is meant to move forward with us."
And in letting go, we find peace.
DECEMBER – Red
The colour of love, joy, passion, happiness - is there a more lively and pulsating colour than red? It was symbolic, to start and end the year with the colour of love.
Come December, and the world turns jolly once again. The most beautiful time of the year, globally, December is a whole different vibe. People open up their hearts in December, and the world is full of love, kindness and compassion once again. There is glitz and glamour, colours and lights. The catching ups, the dining together, Christmas markets and mulled wine, all of it makes even a dull life a little more beautiful, a little more hopeful during this time of the year. Come December and hope floats.
This is how 2024 looked like. 2025 has been kind till now. Gratitude forever.
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