The Name day for everyone named Evgeni,
Evgenia, (from
Hebrew, meaning ‘decent’) Bisser,
Bissera, Bistra, Bozhin, Bozhana.
According to Bulgarian tradition, the Christmas
celebrations start on December 24th,
called
“Badni Vecher” (meaning Christmas Eve, or Small Christmas). Carol
singers, or as they are called in Bulgarian “koledari”, start visiting
around. Only young boys are allowed to participate in the carolling.
With cornel-tree sticks called “koledarki” and bags in their hands
they knock around on people’s doors, singing “God was born”. The
hostess welcomes them and gives them special ring-shaped buns,
walnuts, piece of bacon or sausage.
The adult “koledari” (carol singers)
start going around after dinner. They gather in groups of around ten
people, one of which is the leader – he should be experienced and
accustomed to Christmas blessings and all the carol songs, which at
places could be as many as 80 altogether! The carol singers go around
during night – so that “the Sun should never reach them when on the
roads”… They sing “The House Song” – a song meant to praise the
well-being of the house and all the children in there, as well as to
bring health to everyone. The hosts give the carol singers some money,
a Christmas bun, some bacon and white cheese, and other goodies as
well.
People used to place a thick log, called “badnik”, in
their fire on the Christmas Eve – it was supposed to keep the fire
going for the whole night. The Christmas celebrations continue until
St. Stephen’s Day, December 27th. All through these three days,
according to Bulgarian national traditions, it is considered a serious
sin if one works – it is time to celebrate the birth of God.
The Ritual table is of 7, 9 or 11 meatless dishes, usually beans soup,
cabbage leaves or peppers stuffed with rice, boiled wheat, pumpkin
pastry, dried plums, garlic, honey, walnuts, wheat, fruit, rite bread,
cheese pastry, cabbage pastry. The hosts seek to put on the table an
item of everything they have produced during the year.
An odd number of meatless/vegetable dishes (five, seven or
nine) should be present on the table of each Bulgarian home on the
Christmas Eve, when according to the legend the Holy Mother started
giving birth to Jesus. The dinner starts with the incensing of the
whole house so that all evil spirits are chased away. A wooden plough
is placed in the corner of the room right behind the door. After the
incensing of the table, the uttering of the blessings and the good
wishes it is time for the ritual breaking of the rite bread. The head
of the family, usually the oldest member, cuts the homemade bread and
hands a piece to each around the table - the first piece should always
go to the house itself, the second - to the domestic animals as a
whole, and then - a piece to everyone according to their age, in
descending order.
The first bite of the rite bread is preserved. The
maidens put it under their pillows so that they dream to whom they
might get married. The one who gets the coin hidden in the rite bread
will be healthy and fortunate all through the coming year. The straw
over which the festive table has been laid is used during different
rituals – on Gergiovden it is spread under the trees so they produce
more fruit, it is also ritually burned over the fields so that
the
wheat crop is protected from hailstorms. The women that are about to
give birth must lie over the straw so that their children are healthy.
The whole evening on Christmas Eve is dedicated to different
predictions for future marriages, for health and well being. After
midnight the “Koledari” set off for the neighbouring houses.
The feast connected to the birth of Christ starts in
the evening of Christmas Eve. According to the Gospel, Christ was born
in a cave outside the town of Vitleem, province of Jewry. The day of
the birth of Christ is not known neither by the chroniclers of time
nor by the first Christian philosophers. Until the IV century there is
no official holiday dedicated to the birth of Christ in the Calendar
of the Orthodox Church. The Christians only celebrated the
resurrection and baptism of Jesus Christ. The division of these two
holidays took place during the period 4th - 5th centuries, under the
influence of the pagan beliefs.
During the 20th century Bulgarians added to the
Christmas ceremony another element,
introduced
by Western Europe – the shining Christmas tree which is connected to a
number of ancient myths and legends and is now a symbol of the
holiday. Christ came to this earth to enlighten all people and their
kingdom. A new era began with his coming. Christ brought heavenly
peace – the beautiful, heaped with fruit tree from Eden. That is why
the Christmas tree is usually decorated with figures of angels and
Santa Clause, silver garlands, shining crystal balls and candles – all
symbolizing the essence of Christ – light, knowledge, purity, truth.
Badni Vecher
is also called “Christmas Eve” or “Incensed Eve”. Early in the morning
the woman of the house prepares a “Bogovitza”
– a ritual bread for the house. Young girls make buns for the
carol-singers which they will
give
to their beloved. They also make a nosegay of box-tree branches and a
split from the log in the Christmas fire and tie it with a red thread.
The festive table is set. In the patriarchal Bulgarian house straw is
spread on the floor of the dining-room. On it people
spread the Christmas Eve
cloth (trapeznik) and arrange 12 meatless dishes.
When the whole family is gathered, the woman of the house smokes
incense in the whole house. The dinner begins early.
"Get
up, Staninine, get up, master, For good guests are coming, good guests
for Christmas, They’re bringing good news, good news for Christmas,
From God we bring you health, and from all of us – joy…"
The preparations of the carol-singers begin during the
Christmas fast. They are all bachelor men. They get together at Saint
Nicholas’ Day and go to the house of the man who will be asked to be
"staninik" – leader of the carol-singers. In some villages he is
called “kudabashia” or “good evening”. The "staninik" is a married man
who knows all the songs and rituals in the village very well. The
carol-singers sing in pairs.
Two
men begin the song (called “chougari”), the next two catch up and
usually repeat the same stanza. There are two groups of four men who
take turns in singing and two young boys – “apprentices” or “donkeys”
who learn the songs from the older men and carry the buns given as
gifts. The second in importance in the group is the “blesser”, also
called “murmarin”, “priest” or “doctor”. He pronounces the blessing
(vrachuvka). The wheat ripens early.
On sitting at table each person moves from left to right to make a
seat for the dead relatives and leave small quantities of all dishes
for them. The oldest man breaks the “Bogovitza” over the head of a
small child who jumps three times. He gives everybody a piece of the
bread and one piece he leaves in a high place so that children, plants
and animals grow high. During the dinner you must not get up like hens
don’t get up from the eggs. If someone needs to get up, he must walk
stooping so that the wheat is heavy with grain. Luck goes to the
person who sneezes first at table and the man of the house will give
him the first ewe when it is born. The first morsel young people hide
under the pillow and whoever appears in their dream that night will be
their partner in life. In addition to the ancient rituals of reading
your fortune by walnuts, wheat, flour and coals, everybody anxiously
awaits to hear the clear voice of the bagpipe and the joyful song of
the young carol-singers: group is accompanied by a piper who plays
only when the "kuda" moves from house to house and the men are not
singing. In each house the carol-singers sing a song for the man of
the house. The words are a blessing for health, prosperity and good
life. Carol-singing ends on Christmas morning after all houses have
been visited.
Click on thumbnail to
return to Festival Calendar
Click on thumbnail to
see Christmas in Varna City
PEACE HAVENS of BULGARIA
