Bulgarian folk
festivals and customs
by Slavka Hristova
«The circle of life" – a mural by Zahari Zograff,1850
The national calendar is associated with the seasonal and the solar cycle.
The folk festivals repeat every year at the same time. �Each year, repeat winter, spring, summer and autumn praznitsu
І. The calendar festivals and customs
1.FESTIVAL – a day, which commemorates an event or a person.
Enyovden - 24th June
Easter
2.custom - rituals that take place in the same way at the same time and at the same place.� 3. ritual - series of actions by which have to achieve order and harmony.
a swing on the St. Georgi day
a beard on the cornfield
ІІ. The calendar holidays� 1. Winter
The Day of St. Nikolaus /Nikulden/ 6.ХІІ
The saint is the patron of sailors and fishermen. The feast is in honor of the marine element, the seas, rivers and lakes. In the victim it is offered fish, mostly carp, which is considered as a servant of the saint.
The Day of St. Ignatius /Ignajden/ 20.ХІІ.
The memory of the St. Ignatius is celebrated on that day. The table is entirely vegetarian. The holiday is associated with the winter solstice and is considered the beginning of the year.
The. most characteristic custom on that holiday is named "polazvane. It is guessing what will be”the next year by yhe person who will enter first into the house. If he is good, there will be a prosperity and success in everything throughout the year.
Christmas holidays 25.ХІІ
Сл.Христова
The Day of St. Vasil /Survaki/1.І.
There are meat dishes on the ritual table - pork meat, a pie (or a cake with a coin), with cornel twigs in it, known as ”domestic animals”, ”health”,” house, „”wealth” There is also a cake with honey, wheat, nuts, dried fruit. The girls and the lads put the first morsel under their pillows, believing that who they are dreaming will be their future husband (wife).Looking around the fire or the table you can see which are the fortunes in the upcoming New Year. Before dawn ritual ”survakane” begins. On this day, masked groups of children and adults go from house to house to wish helth and happiness.
The Day if St. Jordan /Yordanovden/ 6.І.� and St. Ivan / Ivanovden/ 7.І.
The water is consecrated on the first day. After the ritual in the church the priest throws a cross into the water/ a river or the Black Sea/ and the bachelors remove it. It is believed that who has pulled back the cross from the water will be healthy and happy.The bathing ritual continues next day. Everyone who is called Ivan is bathed, too.
The Day of St. Trifon /Zarezan/ 1.ІІ.
This ritual is called "TURN". Then all come together and choose
" The king of the vineyards”.
The men go into the vineyard wearing wool bags fulled of bread, a hen and a wooden vessel with wine. They cross, take knives and cut three sticks of the three hubs. After that they sign of the cross again and sprinkle the vines with wine.
The Day of St. Haralampi 10.ІІ.
The” plague” had to be appeased on that day. Every family pugged bread, smears it with honey and gives to neighbors and relatives. In the folk „the plague” was an old, ugly, unkempt and evil woman who should be out of the settlement. Therefore on her way to the village the people put a new towel, soap, comb and water; she had to be cumbered washing her hair. They put also a honey cake and a bottle of wine. They believed that she should forget about coming while she was drunking and eating.
2. Spring holidays
Shrovetide
Сл.Христова
Shrovetide is more than a religious holiday for Christians. It marked the border between winter and spring. Many rituals and customs that accompany the holiday have a pagan nature to the religion Typical ones are the big mummer parades, lighting and fire jumping. On this day the children and the adults dress themselves in old clothes, mask their faces, black them not to be identified Even some of them make special suits and masks and go round the streets and the houses. The ritual is called kukeruvane and participants - mummers. � The most important ritual is the request for forgiveness. When meeting the young lean and kiss the hand of older and ask for forgiveness. In the evening the whole family gathers at home.
This day has different names - Todorova Saturday, Horse Easter, Tudoritsa. It is celebrated mainly for the horses. Early in the morning the women make ritual bread looks like a horse or a horseshoe and decorated it with walnuts, garlic cloves and salt. Every housewife distributes the bread jumping, running, and imitating horse`s neigh. The ambition of every woman is not to leave last.A part of the ritual bread is mixed with the food of horses. Boiled corn is prepered, too.
The most interesting element is the horse race
Тодоровден
The Day of St. Todor /Todorovden/
The Day of St. Lazarus / Lazaritsa/
The girls called "lazarki”, gather at the home of one of them. Then, dressed in traditional folk costumes, they go round the houses in the village, singing ritual songs and blessing for health, happiness and prosperity. The master of the house gives them eggs, fruit and small gifts.
In the past,on the day of St. Lazarus, the young men from the village used to request the hand of his bride.
Palm Sunday/Tsvetnitsa/
Especially for that day is prepared ritual bread, which has the shape of a doll. In addition the girls make their wreaths of willow branches. After that they gather at the river and throw the wreaths into the water.
Easter /Velikden/
Lady Day / Blagoveshtenie/ 25.ІІІ�
According to folk beliefs, all wounds heal more easily and quickly on that „good day”. During the day the venom loses its power. The farmers clean their houses and yards and light fires to jump over in order not to suffer from snake bites in the summer. For the same reason women do not touch the pins, hooks or thread.
Сл.Христова
The Day of St.George /Gergyovden/ 6.V.
In the Bulgarian folk calendar, St. George is one of the biggest holidays of the year and the largest spring festival.� After bathing in the dew, the people return to their homes, gathering fresh green shoots of Geranium, beech, nettle, lilac, etc.They are used to decorate the frontdoors and the thresholds of the homes and the stables. The main custom of St. George day is making swings.
3.Summer holidays
The Day of St.German 12.V.
It is celebrated for soliciting of rain and against hail.� On the day of St. German there is a special custom for rain called German.
Сл.Христова
The Day of St. St. Konstantin and Elena 21.V.�
The main "event" on the feast is a dancing on live coals, called a fire dancing. There is an ancient sun worship in that fire-dancing ritual. In the traditional folk culture of the Bulgarians it is a widespread perception that the earthly fire is a reflection of the heavenly light. In spring when the sun is reborn after winter, different fire rituals are practiced. It is believed that the people stimulate magically the Sun to bring them fertility and health.
Midsummer /Enyovden/ 24.VI.
Сл.Христова
According to the people, the beginning of winter starts on this summer day. It is believed that the morning of the feast, when the Sun is rising, it is "flickerring" and "playing" and who could see it, will be healthy this year. Just at dawn, everyone should be turned to face it and to look at his shadow over his shoulder. If it is whole, the man will be healthy this year but if it is a half, he will be sick.
The Days of St. St. Peter and Pavel -29 -30. VI
The day of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul is one of the most respected summer holidays in the tradition of the Bulgarian people. According to the perceptions of the people, no important farm work should be done on this day.
People bring bread and apples in the church. They are consecrated and distributed to relatives and neighbors. The main dish on the table is chicken.
4. Autumn holidays
The Day of St. Dimitar /Dimitrovden/ 26.Х.
According to the folk, the winter begins from this day.The folk says: "George brings summer, Dimitar – winter”. According to the legend, „St. Demetrius is the patron saint of the winter and cold and it is the older brother of St. George. He has a long white beard, from which he pours the snow, riding a red horse.
The end of the agricultural work is marked by village fairs, dances and songs. On the table are placed baked apples, a sacrifice of sheep, a pumpkin, an apple cake.
The Day of St.Michael /Arhangelmihail/ 8.ХІ.
St. Michael is the protector of the dead and this day is connected with them. Bulgarians make a sacrifice in honor of the patron saint of the dead. The victim is usually male - a ram or an ewe..� The women prepare and distribute among themselves special ritual bread called "Rangel"or "Gospodyov bread”,
"Rangel dish”.� In the Saturday before the holiday it is always a great Souls called Arhangelovska.
ІІІ. Family holidays and customs�Birth and Christening
1.Раждане и кръщене
2.Wedding
3. Trace
Ivan Mrkvicka "Souls”, 1890 .
The presentation is created by
“Panayot Volov”
Primary School
Varna
Bulgaria