Why Bulgarians Shake Their Heads to Say 'Yes'

Imagine visiting Bulgaria and asking a local for directions. They shake their head vigorously from side to side. You walk away disappointed, assuming they can't help—only to realize later they were saying yes. Welcome to one of the world's most confusing cultural quirks.

In Bulgaria, the traditional meanings of head gestures are reversed. A side-to-side shake means yes, while an up-down nod means no. It's the exact opposite of what most of the planet does, and it trips up virtually every first-time visitor.

The Ottoman Resistance Theory

The most popular explanation involves Bulgaria's centuries under Ottoman rule. According to legend, when Ottoman authorities would demand Bulgarians convert to Islam, the Bulgarians began reversing their gestures. They'd shake their heads (meaning yes) while internally meaning no—a subtle form of resistance that allowed them to preserve their identity while appearing to comply.

Whether this story is historically accurate or a romanticized national myth remains debated. But it's stuck around as the go-to explanation most Bulgarians will tell you.

Other Theories

Not everyone buys the Ottoman story. Some scholars point to connections with India, noting that similar reversed gestures appear in parts of the Indian subcontinent. The theory suggests this habit traveled through the Ottoman Empire, which could explain why it also pops up in neighboring countries like Greece, Albania, and Turkey—though less consistently than in Bulgaria.

A third theory links the gesture to the Proto-Bulgarians, a nomadic Turkic people who founded the First Bulgarian Empire in the 7th century. Their cultural traditions may have included these reversed gestures, which survived through the centuries.

The Modern Confusion

Here's where it gets messy: the practice is changing. Young Bulgarians who've traveled abroad or consumed Western media increasingly use the "international" version—nodding for yes, shaking for no. In Sofia and other big cities, you might encounter people using either system, or a confusing blend of both.

Some Bulgarians will give you a slight shake for yes but a vigorous shake for no. Others have abandoned the traditional gestures entirely. The result? Even Bulgarians sometimes can't tell what each other mean without verbal confirmation.

For visitors, the advice is simple: don't rely on head gestures alone. Listen for verbal "da" (yes) or "ne" (no), or just ask people to confirm. And if you're moving to Bulgaria, be prepared for a learning curve that'll have you second-guessing every conversation for the first few months.

• Traditional Bulgarian: Head shake = yes, nod = no
• Most of the world: Nod = yes, head shake = no
• Modern urban Bulgaria: Could be either—good luck

It's a reminder that even the simplest human gestures aren't universal. What feels instinctive to you might mean something completely different a few countries over. In Bulgaria's case, that difference is literally backwards.