In times long past bulls used be sacred animals for farming
communities. Here is the story of traditional homage accorded to
farming bulls.
Traditional belief has it that the Earth is propped up on the horns of
a bull. Traditionally this sacred bull is said to have a shepherd and
a Moor keeping guard on both his sides. Whenever the bull shakes his
horns this brings about an earth tremor. Another traditional beliefs
say that the Sun itself rides perched on the back of a bull. This
accounts why the bull is frequently assumed to be a symbol of the
heavenly body. Most importantly, however, the bull is a farmer’s main
beast of draught. Hence the proverb ” the bull feeds the world”.
Farming communities
respected deeply the bulls they kept. Tradition commanded that no one
or nothing should ever cross the path of a bull or a cart with bulls
in harness, i.e. the animals should have right of way. Village folk
viewed these powerful, unruffled and rather placid animals as angels.
They would even call a bull a sire, as they accorded him the respect
due to parents. When bulls would grow old the farmer would just let
them live their old age out in peace to finally commit them to the
ground with honours.
There is a
Bulgarian folk tale about a destitute young boy that hadn’t a thing to
its name except for a male calf, given him by his godmother. The boy
grew up to be a fine young man. One day he asked his mother to give
him a penny so that he bought himself, like all his friends, something
to be his own. His mother told him with great sadness that he was so
unfortunate and luckless that even the calf, given in present by the
godmother, though already grown-up, was not giving any issue. Saddened
and in desperation the young man asked his mother to bake a loaf of
bread and let him take the barren cow to the woods. And so he did. The
young man led his cow deep into the woods and left it there all alone.
Sometime on, however, the young man went back to the woods to check
what had happened to the cow. He found the cow had survived intact and
actually spoke to him in a human voice. The cow asked him to go back
home, to build a big barn and a lofty house with handsome verandas.
And then glance back over the way he had come back from the woods.
When he did as he’d been ordered he looked up and lo! He couldn’t
believe what he was seeing - there was stepping a pair of two handsome
bulls, as handsome as angels, and a herd of cattle following at their
heels. When they came up to the young man’s house the pair of bulls
spoke to him and advised him to sell the cattle and buy himself an
iron cart and a hardy bone plough with the proceeds. He was to harness
the bulls to the cart and then go to pay a visit to the king who had
been promising to give all he possessed to the ploughman who succeeded
in ploughing all his lands in one day. Many had tried but had dismally
failed and consequently lost their lives. The young man did as the
bulls bid him. He set about ploughing the royal lands and was making
very good progress. Witnessing the young man’s very real challenge the
king called in a friend sorceress and dispatched her to cast a spell
on the ploughman and prevent him from going through with the job.
However, the pair of bulls, harnessed in the plough, saw what was
being done to the young man and rushed to help their master. One
decided to toss the Sun up, high above the horizon, to make the day
last longer. The second bull gave such a might kick to the Earth that
it shook and brought the charmed ploughman back to his senses. The
young man buckled down to the task and managed to plough all the royal
lands before the sun set down. The bulls then reminded him to go back
to the king and claim what was due him. And so it happened that the
young man came back from the royal palace with an overloaded cart of
treasures thanks to the pair of miraculous bulls.
Mooing day
- It is celebrated in honour of draught animals (the oxen, the
cattle). Early in the morning of the holiday the women knead dough and
bake ritual boats of bread. In the North-Western parts of Bulgaria
they usually bake two sorts of bread - Saint Petka and Saint Vlas.
Petka is decorated with a cross and five flowers, and Vlas is a loaf
on all sides of which they put four flowers and between the flowers
they put a bow. The ritual loafs of bread incensed in the cattle-shed
with the oxen and then the women give the first one to the neighbours
and the second one they put in the forage of the oxen. While the women
prepare the bread and the ring-shaped bun, the men sweep the
cattle-shed, comb the oxen and take them to water. Before they set out
for the river, the mistress takes out the bakes loafs and bread and
fixes them on the horns of the cattle. This is done for the health of
the oxen so that (they don't suffer from) the disease "vlas" (disease
on the stomach and the guts). When the bread-giving takes place people
usually kick each other, prick each other with their heads and start
mooing - that is where the other name of the holiday comes from-
Mooing day. While the oxen are drinking water, the master of the house
dips the ring-shaped buns in the river , breaks them into pieces and
gives them to the animals and the other men gathered by the river as
well as to any men met on the way back home.
In the North-West of Bulgaria people usually "cut the vlas" - they
strike with an axe while mooing.
On Vlas's day women don't spin so that "vlas doesn't come" to their
eyes neither do they knead. Men don't put the oxen to the yoke,
because it is believed that even if girded with belts the ox ungirds
itself. This holiday is observed also by the shepherds so that no
sheep with rough wool are born.
In Central Bulgaria it is also celebrated for the crop fields so
that the wheat-ears won't grow empty.
Church Holiday: Saint Vlasi Sevastiiski slew in 312.
The Name day of
Vlasso.
The Orthodox Church celebrates the day of the holy martyr Saint
Vlassios (Blassios; Blaise), the Sebastian bishop, on this day. He
died as a martyr during the time of the Roman Emperor Licinius
(308-324).
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PEACE HAVENS of BULGARIA
