Bulgariska.com

Christmas in Bulgaria

Written by God Jul
Wednesday, 07 July 2004
The Bulgarian word for Christmas is Koleda, which comes from the Latin word calendi – the ancient pagan holiday connected with the winter solstice in December. It is the time when the Sun is born and it is not strong enough to conquer darkness. Mankind takes part in this duel between chaos and order, darkness and light with songs, blessings, magic and rituals. As converted to Christianity in 864, Christmas had already a new meaning, the birth of Christ. Now the traditional Bulgarian Christmas is a mixture of Christian and pagan believes and rituals. According to the Orthodox customs, the preparation for Christmas begins 40 days earlier with a Great Fasting when no meat, eggs, cheese or milk are eaten. Christmas Eve – 24th December On Christmas Eve all family members gather around the table where they lay everything the family has produced during the year: boiled wheat, beans, vine or cabbage sarmi(vine or cabbage leaves stuffed with rice), stuffed peppers, pickles, walnuts, apples and the ritual bread called pita. All the meals are vegetarian and their number is 7, 9 or 11. Before the dinner begins the oldest man says a prayer and the oldest woman incenses first the table and then all the house as well as the yard and the cattle-shed. It is believed that incensation drives evil spirits away. When the dinner begins the oldest person breaks up the first ritual bread dedicated to Christmas and called bozha pita (God’s bread). There is a silver coin put in it. Every member of the family is given a piece of it and the one who gets the piece with the coin is believed to be very wealthy and happy in the new year. The second ritual bread is dedicated to the house, the household goods, the field farming and the cattle. The third type of bread is a ring-shaped bun, called kravaj. These buns are made for the koledari, the guests who will visit the house after midnight. At Christmas Eve predictions are made for the weather in the new year, for the expected crops, for each member’s health, for the coming marriages of the girls. In the fireplace there is a special yule-log, called badnik, which burns all night long. It should be oak, elm or pear-tree, specially chosen and cut in the wood by a young man. If it burns brightly, with lots of sparks, the new year will be very fertile. It is believed that the yule-log has magic power. The ash is used for curing diseases or is put into the fields and vineyards to make them more fertile. Christmas – 25th December The celebration of Christmas is a continuation of Christmas Eve as it begins after midnight with the ritual koleduvane. All participants in it are men – bachelors, fiances and young men who have just married. These men are called koledari. They choose their leader on St Ignatius’s Day (20th December) – he is called stanenik and is usually an older man. The group consists of 10 –15 people. Younger boys are also included, the so-called cats, who walk around the houses meowing and thus tell the hosts that the koledari are coming. The koledari go round the houses in the village or town from midnight till dawn performing ritual songs and dances. The songs are lively happy and festive. They differ from one another according to the place they are sung and the person they are dedicated to. As a whole, they are ritual wishes for happiness in the family and rich crop in the fields. The first song usually begins with this verse: “Get up, get up dear host! We are singing for you, We have come to visit you, We are good guests for you, koledari.” After the songs have been sung the leader of the group tells a Christmas blessing. The koledari are given the ring-shaped buns, specially prepared for them, together with money, meat, bacon, wine, flour, beans, fruits, etc. The ritual ends with a common feast of the koledari. After that the remaining products are sold and the money is given to the poor, the church and the school. In the morning everyone goes to church to attend the holy Liturgy. After that they go to the centre of the villagr and dance the festive horo. Christmas today Nowadays, when Christmas is a world-wide holiday, some of the rituals are not carried out and some new ones are introduced. However, in villages old traditions are still alive. In the 20s of the last century the Christmas tree was introduced. Originally it was decorated with dried fruits. Now everyone can buy the specially made balls, ornaments and electric lights. A lot of Christmas songs, translated from other languages, are sung. Children love this holiday very much because Santa Claus brings them presents while they sleep. Santa Claus is quite a new figure. He does not exist in the old tradition. For 45 years, during the communist regime, Christmas and other religious holidays were strictly forbidden. However, the Russian Grandpa Frost was introduced. He was the good old man who brought presents to children on New Year’s Eve. From 1990 Grandpa Frost is replaced by Santa Claus, known all over the world. Surovakane This ritual is carried out on 1st January. Children pat older people on their backs with a surovaknitsa. It is a cornel stick with tied branches which form something like a circle. It is decorated with little balls made of cotton, strings of popcorn, raisins, prunes, dried apple slices, dried peppers, etc. While patting, children say a wish for health, wealth and happiness. They say: "Surva merry year, a golden ear of wheat in the field, a red apple in the garden, a house full of silk. Long live forever". It is believed that this action will make sure that the year will be very fertile and productive for the patted person. The first people to be patted are the members of family, then relatives and neighbours. Children are given ring-shaped buns, bacon, dried fruits and money in return.
Last Updated ( Monday, 15 January 2007 )