Transcript Traditional Bulgarian Calendar

Traditional Bulgarian Calendar
October 26th
St. Dimitrius Day
Bulgarian Orthodox
Church celebrates
St. Demetrius on October 26.
It honors the memory of St.
Demetrius. It is believed
that he was proconsul of
Thessaloniki and died a
martir for his faith in
Christ on October 26, 306.
Legends
The Popular cult of St. Demetrius is that
he is the older brother of St. George.
According to folk traditions of this day it
is celebrated as the first winter holiday.
In the minds of our ancestors St.Dimitar
rides a white horse, and snowflakes fall
from his white beard. Widely spread is
the saying that St. George brings the
Summer and St. Demetrius brings the
winter. As St. Dimitrius is known to
bring the winter and cold the saint is
associated with the world of the dead.
Feast
The table for St. Demetrius
Day is rich. There is a lot of
meat. The mandatory
meals to attend the festival
are: sacrifice of a sheep or
baked Rooster stew, or a
stew of lamb, stuffed
peppers and an apple cake.
It is imperative to have red
wine and water at the table.
November 1 – The Day of the
Enlightment Leadres
The Day of the Enlighment Leaders is a
Bulgarian national holiday which is
celebrated each year on November 1st . On it
we honor the memory of the Bulgarians who
gave us the alphabet, the writings of faith and
national confidence, and the revolutionaries.
Among the most popular Bulgarian
Enlightment Leaders are: St. Cyril and
Methodius, St. Hilendar, St. Ivan Rilski, Ivan
Vazov, Hristo Botev, Vasil Levski and many
others.
November 8th
St. Michaelmas
Day
St. Michaelmas Day is a Christian
holiday that is celebrated each year
on 8th November to honor the
"conciliar unity of the angelic
ranks." The holiday is also known as
the Festival of St. Archangel Michael
and other heavenly ethereal forces.
According to Bulgarian folk belief
Archangel Michael as the angel of
death. He comes to take your soul at
the end of your world journey.
November 30th
St. Andrew’s
Day
On this day – 30th November –
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
celebrates the memory of St.
Andrew the Apostle.
In northern Bulgaria we
celebrate this day in honor of the
bears, it is believed that St.
Andrew is their master.
According to a popular legend,
the saint harnessed the bear to
plow land.
December 6th St.
Nikolas Day
St. Nicholas is the Orthodox
feast of St. Nicholas Mirlikiyski –
The patron saint of sailors, travelers
and bankers.
In Bulgaria, the holiday is marked
as a name day of people whose
names are derived or close to the
name Nicholas - Nicholas Neycho,
Nikolina, Nicoletta, Nikola and
others.
The traditional food for
the holiday is stuffed crab
with nuts and vegetables.
Feast
The Day is a nation wide celebration and is celebrated in all
Bulgarian families. The traditional dishes on the festive table are diferent fish
dishes, ceremonial bread, dried fruits, most often - carp stuffed with walnuts.
December 9th - Conception of St.
Anna. Celebration of motherhood
This is a religious holiday. As a mother of Mary St.
Anna protects the family, virginity, pregnant
women and widows.This holiday is also known as
Winter St. Anna, Anina or conception.Righteous
Joachim and Anna had no children for a long time.
Their desire and their prayers to God were so
sincere and dedicated, that God finally fulfilled
their request. One day, while Anna worked in the
garden an angel appeared and said: "Hannah
would bear a daughter and you will call her Mary".
After nine months - September 8th - The family
was brightened with a girl, the mother of Jesus.
December 20th
Ignazhden
The people believe that the New Year and the Christmas holiday start
from Ignajden. In the eastern parts of Bulgaria the first Christmas dinner is
at this day. The table is set with meatless meals only.
The most popular thing for that holiday is the ritual "polazwane" (crawling). It
depends on whoever enters in the house on Ignajden what the next year would be
like. If the man who enters first is a good man there will be luck and success in
everything in the house during the whole next year. If that someone is not a lucky
man there will not be welfare for the home and especially for the economy during
the year. If the man is good and he has had happiness in the previous year, the
hosts give the man their blessing and invite him or her to be their spolaznik (the
man who enters the house first) next year as well. In case the spolaznik is bad and
brings unhappiness and unfortune to the house during the whole year they send
him off with curses: "I wish your leg was broken so that you couldn't come." "I wish
you had gone blind so that you couldn't see the door.".
Christmas Eve – December 24
The Christmas celebrations start on 24th December and continue until Stefanovden. For most
people the Small Christmas is a bigger holiday than the following ones because that is the
evening of Christ's birth. Children are the ones that enjoy it the most. Christmas Eve is the
first censed evening. The most important traditions are the budnik, the table with ritual breads,
the Christmas meals and the ritual singing of Christmas carols- koleduvane. The budnik is an oak
or a pear treecut and brought home by a young man to keep the fire up throughout the night.
Bringing it in the man asks: "Do you praise the young God?" The women answer: "We praise
him, we praise him! Welcome!" The man adds: "I am home and God iswith me!"
From the tree that has been cut for the budnik people make stakes for fencing the fields, to
protect them from being robbed by tramps and magicians. There are three kinds of ritual breads:
real Christmas breads (bogovitsa, kolak, svetets (saint), krustash, pogacha), reads made by
hosts (gumno, kolak, kashara, cherkovnik, bachva, bojichnik, ralo) and Christmas breads (kravaj)
This is the first day of Christnas and the last of the year for which people say that encloses the
circle. Families gahter onthe table with meat meals on it, sing songs and have fun. In some parts
of Bulgaria the young families visit their firstwitnesses, godfathers and parents. In other places
the holidays of the mice start at that day and continue until
Krustovden. The restrictions that are specific for the holiday Mrasnite dni (the Dirty days) are
strongly observed.
December 25th Nativity
Day
Nativity is one of the biggest
Christian holidays. At its base it is
the
birth of Christ the Savior. For this
happy event we read in the Gospel
of Luke, Chapter 2.
On 25th December from dawn
women prepare for the holiday.
Particular attention is paid to the
preparation of the ritual bread –
bloodless sacrifice for the holy day.
Dressed in festive attire, they
replaced the ritual bread.
Koleduvane
The holiday is a continuation of Christmas Eve, because it starts
from midnight with the custom. It involved only men.
December 27th St. Stephen’s Day
St. Stephen - St. Stephen's Day is celebrated on
the third day after Christmas – December 27. The
cult of the saint is a great tribute to him – too. St.
Stephen is the firs martyr (protomartyr) because
itis one of the first victims of the Christian faith.
This is the third day of Christnas and the last
of the year for which people say that "encloses the
circle". Families gahter on the table with meat
meals on it, sing songs and have fun. In some
parts of Bulgaria the young families visit their first
witnesses, godfathers and parents. In other places
The holidays of the mice start at that day and
continue until Krustovden. The restrictions that are
specific for the holiday Mrasnite dni (the Dirty
days) are strongly observed.
January 1st - NEW
YEAR DAY
On 1st January - New Year - is traditional for survakane. Survakari are just
young men who united in groups with a guide, and go from house to wish
Songs called health and wellbeing of families.
On this day is organized and mummers council. Young and old dress in
costumes, masks and began to chase away evil spirits.Mummer's games
and rituals are performed only by men, mostly bachelors.
January 1 – Vasilovden
The very first day of New Year starts with
name day. Celebrate Vasil, Teodora, Vasya.
According to popular tradition the evening
of the first of January to collect the girls of the
square dance. Most personal maid be
selected Vasil. While playing people to sing
songs and spills wine Vassila carries copper
full of water, in which each girl brought her
and left wrist. Wrist is usually made of
boxwood, cornel twigs tied with red thread. As
a mark put gold coins, rings, beads. After the
festive dance all go home, and copper with
wrists left out of the night under the stars. If
water freezes in copper, the year will be fertile
and people and animals will be healthy.
January 6th
Removing cross on the Danube river in
Lom.
Epiphany or St. Jordan’s Day
According to the traditions at this day the Dirty days (Mrasnite Dni). are chased
away. The priest "christens" water by putting a cross into it. With a cauldron full of
that sanctified water and a bunch of basil he goes around the homes of people and
sprinkles it. The hosts drop coins into the cauldron and give flour, beans and wool
to the preist. Kids can go along with the priests to carry the giftst. They are called
cats. It is believed that with the sanctifying of the water and its sprinkling around the
dirty days and all the different ghostsand evil spirits are chased away.
It brings health if you dring from the sanctified water, so everybody does it at this
day. Peopleeat meatless food
This holiday is a part of the Christmas holiday cycle and some kind of a connection
between the New Year and St.Jordan's day.
People have their own ordinances for Epiphany. The evening before the holiday
people put steam or cross in white boiler and am guessing: if the water is frozen,
the year will be healthy and happy, if not frozen - it is expected that a bad year.
January 7th
St. John's
Day
On this holiday the ritual bathing from St. Jordan's Day continues. All
over theplace the godfather or the brother-in-law baths the young
couple. The lads goround the houses and bath the people celebrating
their name day, the lasses andthe young men. If a person does not
want to be bathed, he or she can redeemhimself or herself.
In folk beliefs St. John is protector of the godfather and brotherhood.
This is the reason whyfamilies stay with their godfathers on this day.
On St. John disguised groups of people from theNew Year's Day
cease going around.
In some places carol singers take the tsar away to the riverbank and
bath him. Then he standstreat and the men disguise as bears, bride,
Negroes, etc. After the treat all people play a folk holiday dance with
which the Christmas festive cycle is put to an end.
Church Holiday: It is celebrated in honour of John the Baptist who
points at Jesus as themessenger of God. John the Baptist is called
the Forerunner because he predicts Jesus‘coming on earth.
Ritual Table: dried fruit compote, pie with cheese, boiled wheat, beans,
black pudding, bakedflat sausage, pig's ribs with cabbage.
January 8th
Grandmother’s
Day
Grandmother‘s Day is one of the
greatest female folk festivals dedicated
to the "grandmas" - women who help at
birth. The rituals on this day is
mainly governed by the desire to
Witness, honor and respect older
women who have "assisted in childbirth".
This holiday is pagan, and
comes from the distant Slavic times, but
has survived during time. In
Renaissance it was extremely honored.
January 18
Athanasius’
Day
The holiday is connected with the New Year's traditions. According to
thebelief St. Atanas is one of the saints who divide the earth and thesky.
The snow and the ice have fallen to his lot. At this day he puts on a silk
shirt, he goes to the mountain and shouts: "Winter, go away, come,
summer". This is where the other name of the holiday, Sredi zima
(Midwinter),comes from. In the Southwest part of Bulgaria, Atanasovden,
As well as, Antonovden is honored as a holiday of blacksmiths and
cutlers as well as of the plaque. A black hen is slaughtered to protect
people from deseases, ritual bread is baked and broken into pieces with
a fork, to prevent children from catching the small-pox and the pieces of
bread are given away to the neighbors. The feathers of the hen are kept
save because it is believed that they possess curing powers. Women
observe the same restrictions as on Antonovden. Ritual sacrifices are
given on this day in order to bring health In some parts of the country
young people gather on the meadows and play horo, swing and
sing songs.
Church Holiday: St. Atanasii the Great took part in the ecumencialfair in
Nikea and later he became archbishop of Alexanria. He was called "the
Great" because of his defeat over the priest Arii, who denied the
consubtantiality of the God Father and the God - Son.He is also
called"the father of Orthodox".
Winter holidays in the Bulgarian
calendar
Christmas at school "Constantine
Fotinov” Lom
In the traditional Bulgarian calendar winter
holidays are much more than other seasonal
holidays. This is related to the lifestyle
and working habits of the agricultural society of
the Bulgarians for centuries.