Listen
Some of what you hear in June will have come from these. We are not going to say which parts.
Bangaranga
Bulgaria’s first ever Eurovision win, May 2026, and the reason Stan was dancing in the hallway twenty minutes after getting engaged.
Stan & Felix
Songs the two of us both love — the overlap between two fairly different sets of taste, which took some negotiating.
Stan’s Eurovision hits
Be warned. Stan takes Eurovision seriously and this playlist is not short.
Felix’s Observation playlist
Quieter. Best with headphones and a window.
Watch
Three things we love. Watch them, and some of what happens in June will land differently.
Learn
Bulgarian pravo horo
A line dance, hands joined, six steps, no partner needed and no skill required. At some point in the evening somebody will take your hand and you will be in it, so you may as well know what is coming. The basic version is two small steps and two bigger ones, repeated until the music stops.
Folk Dance Footnotes explains the six-step version in English, with video of it being taught.
The Bangaranga hand move
You will know it when you see it, and the good news is that there is no footwork at all. One arm goes up above your head, elbow loose rather than locked. The wrist then flicks rapidly back and forth, like you are chopping at something in the air, in time with the beat. Repeat until the song ends or your shoulder complains.
That is genuinely the whole move. Done with enough conviction, nobody checks your technique. Watch Dara’s hands in the performance further up this page, or the first few seconds of this, and copy them.
Watch it on Instagram if the box above doesn’t load.
The Chinese tea ceremony
Felix is Malaysian Chinese, and we will be serving tea to our families. It is the part of the day built entirely around respect: the couple serves tea with both hands to parents, grandparents and elders in order of seniority, and each one drinks, offers a blessing, and often gives something in return. Cups usually carry the double happiness character, 囍, the same one in the corner of our invitation.
A guide to the Malaysian Chinese version, including why the order of serving matters so much.