/photo source: Pixabay /
Folk customs carry a deep meaning, but over time we move away from it and it becomes incomprehensible to us. We have selected for you five not so well-known customs that help us get to know the past and our ancestors, to delve into our history, folk art and literature. As well as time travel through five short stories.
King of the fields
The harvest was the biggest labor holiday in the life of our ancestors. It always started on Monday, because it was considered a "light" day, auspicious. The people, festively dressed in white shirts and white towels on their heads, went to the fields and the one who was the fastest reaped first. It believed that in this way the harvesting of the grain would be completed on time.
From the plucked first ears a bundle was tied, which stood up in the fields of the farmer, and he, with a blessing for blessing, put parà in a white cloth placed among the ears and promised a rich reward at the end. Those harvesters who first discovered the "King of the Fields" - large wheat stalks with two ears, considered a symbol of a rich harvest and prosperity - received a special reward.
Cow
In Northern Bulgaria, the custom called "Kravai" is preserved. The kravait was made from the first grain, ground a few days after threshing the harvest. He carried himself to the fountain to "wash" himself with water, because it was believed that it washes away all bad things. The first rain was released on the water, the names are usually: that there will be no head on the grain (a kind of disease) and that it will rain, but without hail and storms.
The cow was given to the people gathered at the fountain with names and blessings - that the wheat, corn and barley be as tall as a human body and full of grain, as big as dogwood. The villagers called for help and protection from the Holy Mother of God and Saint Marina. A piece of the cow got buried in the first furrow during the autumn plowing. Another piece was kept on the iconostasis with the belief that thus the bread in the house would never run out.
Congratulations on a crutch
The custom of "Slava" or "Saint" is preserved in Western Bulgaria, but is still very popular in Macedonia and Serbia. The holiday is celebrated in honor of a patron of the home, some prominent member of the house or clan, who after his death became the patron spirit of the house and household.
With the introduction of Christianity, this patron farmer began to be called a "saint" and the day of his celebration was chosen to be the day of the Christian saint, which falls on the same day or closest to it. This holiday is the prototype of today's Name Day, which was not known in the past.
At noon, guests were welcomed in the home. The table with the dishes was passed around and not raised all day, and the evening was celebrated with dances and songs, but not love songs. The day after the holiday was called "Pateritsa". According to the beliefs of that day, the patron saint has already left, but his crutch remained in the home, i.e. the stick with which he leans. That's where the expression comes from: "Congratulations on a crutch!"
If you are curious and want to read more similar posts, sign up here .
Swimwear
From time immemorial in Perushtitsa, on Midsummer's Day, newlyweds bathe in the ice-cold waters of the river, lit up on Jordan Day, to testify to their masculinity and readiness to create a healthy family with many heirs. The city keeps alive to this day the ancient custom of "Kapanki", which is characteristic only of this region and is unique in the Balkans.
It is assumed that the custom is a legacy of the ancient Slavic holidays associated with water. The sons-in-law, who are the newlyweds, take a ritual bath under the Chalakov bridge. The meaning of the custom is for health, for the boy to feel like a man, for the brides to be fertile.
The men enter the icy waters, dressed in white shirts and led by music and in full view of the whole town. The newlyweds then carry water to their homes and pour it into the sleeve of their wives, who are holding onto a vine. It is believed that this way the family will get a male child.
The Feast of the Shepherds
Among the Christians in the Rhodopes, the day of St. St. Constantine and Elena is known as Predoi, Predui, Mandra or Otbiv. Due to the later onset of spring in the mountains, on this holiday, pastoral rites are observed, which in other Bulgarian regions are characteristic of St. George's Day.
Around the holiday or on the day itself, the farmers drive out their herds and collect them at several common dairies near the village. Then the lambs are separated from the mothers, the common milking and distribution of the milk among the owners begins. After the milking is finished, the farmers and the shepherds sit down at a common table.
Some traditions seem distant to us, others incomprehensible, and others even foreign. However, the only reason for this is that we simply do not know them and have allowed them to be left in the past. Vezba tries to preserve traditions in the only way it can - by bringing them into our modern everyday life. You can also do it through the clothes in our store.
If you are curious and want to read more similar posts, sign up here .
Look at the clothes