2976: Nodding for No: Not Understood Feb 13, 2025

Almost all of the world nods their heads for yes and shakes for no. A handful of other cultures have the opposite version, including in Bulgaria. As unclear as the near universality of yes-nodding is, this is even less understood.

In Bulgaria, there is an obvious myth that some 500 years ago, when being forced to convert to Islam by the Ottoman Turks, the Bulgarians nodded but intended for no. This needs little debunking, but of course logically most of the Balkans aside from Albanians and Bosniaks did not see high rates of conversion under Ottoman control, nor would this trick allowing them to still practice Christianity would not have lasted very long even if every Bulgarian were informed of it effectively and secretly etc.

Indeed in general the citizens of a few countries in the region, Greece, Cyprus, Iran, even the modern successors of the Ottomans, Turkey, tend to nod for no and shake for yes. Albanians also use this method, and did convert to Islam under the Ottomans.