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Written by God Jul
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Monday, 15 January 2007 |
March 1. is a day of the rich Bulgarian tradition, and wishes for health, love and a good harvest. This is the time when Bulgarians exchange amulets - the so called bulgarian "Martenitsa" and tell each other, "Chestita Baba Marta" (Happy Granny March). The red and white woven threads are not just meaningless decoration, but symbolise the wish for a good harvest and good health. They are the heralds of the coming of spring in Bulgaria and life in general, and everybody calls them "martenitsa". (Martenitsa - the singular, martenitsi - the plural). This period of wearing marteniza lasts till the arrival of spring.
Martenitsa are given to loved ones, friends, and those people whom one feels close to. They are worn on clothing, or around the wrist or neck, until the wearer sees a stork or swallow returning from migration, or a blossoming tree, and then removes the Martenitsa and hangs it on a blossoming tree.
The tradition goes by the name Baba Marta - Granny March. This is a literal translation; the term does not necessarily refer to an old woman, but rather to the wisest member of a family, despite the gender. The 1st-of-March ritual is connected to the tradition of wearing Martenitsa used as protection from the evil eye.
Martenica can be worn along with items such as garlic, blue wool, or a coin. The coin is a wish for wealth, and the blue wool is additional protection from the evil eye. Garlic symbolizes the strengthening of the sick and protecting the healthy ones. You may see Marteniza in Bulgariain the form of a boy and a girl. By tradition, they are called Pizho and Penda. These doll-like Martenitsa represent purity and genuineness and a wish for health. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 January 2007 )
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Written by God Jul
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Monday, 15 January 2007 |
Kukeri Festival Kukeri (Bulgarian: кукери) is a traditional Bulgarian ritual for driving away the evil spirits. Every year around New Year and before Lent men dressed as monsters (and called kukeri), wearing decorated wooden masks of animals (sometimes double-faced) and bells on their belts would walk around the village while dancing in order to scare the evil spirits by means of their costumes and the sound of the belts. According to the tradition, this would provide a good harvest, health and happiness in the village during the whole year.
The kukeri traditionally visit the people's houses at night, so that "the sun would not catch them on the road", and after going round the village they would all gather on the square, where they dance wildly and amuse the people. The ritual may vary in different regions of the country, but its essence remains largely the same.
Kukeri Festival BulgariaIn the rural villages of Bulgaria, the "Kukeri" is a important masked ritual, carried forward from the Thracians. They dance in the last days of the winter, just before nature comes back to life and the trees and flowers blossom.
The participants in this ritual are male only, dressed in sheepskin garments and wearing ugly frightening masks and chanove (copper bells) on their belts, dancing and singing Christmas songs and chants, with the intention to scare away the evil spirits or ghosts which people believed came back to the living ones in winter.
The esoteric meaning in Kukeri ritual is that by pray to the God of vegetation together with magical operations there may be influenced by the idea of fertility of the nature and people. The ritual is a mixture between Christian and pagan traditions and symbols. There is a strong connection between the event and the peasant life. It is a unique and ancient folklore, which can be seen only in Bulgaria. The traditional mask is multi-coloured, covered with beads, ribbons and woolen tassels. The dress too, is colorful and florid once again up to the individual imagination. The heavy swaying of the main mummer is meant to represent wheat heavy with grain, and the noisy clang of the bells is intended to drive away the evil and sickness.
As recently as the end of the 19th century, the importance of the Kukeri was so substantial that fightings and quarrels between two different Kukeri groups from neighboring villages often end up in real, not imitative, murderings.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 January 2007 )
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