In traditional Bulgarian society, the family unit was the ultimate source of protection. To be "without a mother and without a father" meant more than just grief; it meant being a (an outcast) or someone without a "root."
The immediate tragedy of losing caregivers and the struggle for survival in a world that values lineage. bez_maika_i_bez_bashha
Many contemporary Bulgarians use similar metaphors to describe the feeling of living abroad—being "orphaned" from their culture and native tongue. In traditional Bulgarian society, the family unit was