quick view on traditional spring festivities in bulgaria

7/18/2019 Quick View on Traditional Spring Festivities in Bulgaria

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BulgariaBulgaria

On the first day of March and for many days afterwards, Bulgarians

exchange and wear white symbols called Martenitsa.The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginningof springtime. Therefore, the first day of March is a traditional holidayassociated with sending off winter and welcoming spring.

This is an old pagan tradition, that remains almost unchanged.

The common belief is that by wearing the red and white symbol, people askBaba Marta for mercy. They hope that she will chase winter away and bringthe long expected spring. The martenitsa symbolizes new life, conception,fertility, and spring. The time during which it is worn is meant to be a joyfulholiday commemorating health and long life.

Celebrating



Martenitsas were also belieed to help growth in nature, so they weremostly worn by children, newlyweds.Martenitsas were also tied on the newborn lambs, kids and cales, aswell as on fruit trees, beehies, ines, and under the eaes of the house.

Честита Баба Марта! Chestita Baba Marta !

Happy Grandma Marta! Happy 1st Mar"h!



One ersion connects the holiday to the ancient !oman of the "ew #ear,

which was celebrated at the beginning of March, the month Mars.

The $martenitza$ is also an odd artistic image of nature. %t that period of the

year, nature is full of hopes and expectations. &t also symbolized the purity

of the white snow going away and the red settings of the sun becomingmore and more intensie with the coming spring. These two natural

resources are necessary for the life as well as the male and female spirits.

"ow $martenitza$ symbolizes new life, conception, fertility, and spring.

This is a holiday for joy, health and long life.

Association Child’s Friend, Bulgaria



Baba Marta – /Granny Marta/

In ancient times, spring and summer were regarded as onesingle season when the hard work in the felds : thats wh! inman! parts o" Bulgaria summer was welcomed on #arch $%Be"ore dawn on #arch $, a fre was &uilt outside each house,

and people 'umped over it "or protection against all evil, snakesand li(ards% )ater on, a red cloth was hung under the eaves, tomake *rann! #artha +#arch happ! and smiling -whichpromised good weather-% The magic rituals per"ormed on this da!came "rom pagan timesand were intended to please .The /lmight! Sun.% The redcolour and the fre were &elieved to rein"orce its li"e0givingpower, and "uture prosperit!%One of the most interesting March ' traditions, is the wearing of

martenitsas which played the role of amulets protecting their wearers

from eil and bad luck.

The martenitsas, two intertwined threads, were made by the lady of thehouse. The threads would be usually red and white, though in some

areas there were red(and(blue ariants, or een only red.

/ccording to the popular &elie", red had the same power as thesun, and like it could drive awa! all evil "orces% That was wh!the martenitsas protected their wearers "rom the evil e!es,

"rom the sorcerers, imps% dragons, vampires, &oge!men anddiseases with which the world supposedl! a&ounded%



The martenitsa is also a symbol of Mother Nature.

In early spring Nature seems full of hopes and expetations. The !hite olorsymboli"es sno!# !ater and purity# red is the symbol of the sun# of life and

passion.

$oth represent the soure of life.%o this ustom reminds people of the onstant yle of life and death# the balaneof good and e&il# and of the sorro! and happiness in human life.

'earing one or more martenitsi is &ery popular $ulgaria. Martenitsas are al!aysgi&en as gifts. (eople ne&er buy martenitsas for themsel&es.

They are gi&en to lo&ed ones# friends# and people !hom one feels lose to.They are !orn on lothing# or around the !rist or ne)# until one sees the firststor). Then one has to find a blooming tree

*nd hang his+her Martenitsas on it’s branhes.



)ery year our

children meet Baba

Marta with songs

and dances and

show their self madeMartenitsas at

)xhibitions in

schools at parks

and city s*uares.

Happy Granny March!

Честита Баба Марта!



The martenitsas are carried on until the first storks and swallows come.

+hen people see a stork they can take the martenica off and put it on a

blooming tree with wishes for health and wealth. The traditional martenica

are red and white but in different regions of the country they can also be red

and blue, red, white and yellow or een made of seen different colors.

Martenitsas were neer thrown away, for that meant throwing away your

good luck.

Happy Granny Mar"h!Happy Granny Mar"h!

#$r "hi%dren &ish y$ a s$nny'hea%thy and smi%in( )prin(!

*e+%% sn sh& y$ the res$%ts

$r Mar"h *r,shps-



We love SMILES!

We like to laugh at friendly jokes. And we are very fond of funnystories. That makes prl " one of our favorite festivities.The whole week before we were busyReading funny stories; Making funny crafts faces! masks andfigurines; "laying #ames! $unny faces and %antomime ;

We had a creative worksho% with %arents! which ended witha joyful Concert show in the kindergarten with the lovely %u%%ets whichMrs. T&vetana "latikanova created for us.

$$/pril/pril



)a(arka

)a(arovden)a(arovden Lazar's Day-

elebrated the last /aturday before )aster.

Only young girls can take part in the ritual. There are singers in thegroup and one of the girls carries an egg(basket to collect the eggs

which the people from the isited houses gie them as a present. On

/aturday afternoon and on /unday before noon the girls go around the

illage, entering each house and singing ritual songs to the family.

There are different songs for each of the family members, for which

they are presented with white eggs.

The girls choose their leader and sing a special song for her.On /unday the elder girls go to the centre of the illage, to sing their

songs and dance the horo 0a circle illage dance0.



))a(arsa(ars

11a!a! Our festie eents

in the 1indergarten,

out in the yard,

and at the public

celebration.



T T((vetnitsavetnitsa – Flower Day

2rubnitsa is celebrated on the /unday before )aster and is an important ritual for the young

unmarried girls, called $kumichene$. The girls who hae taken part in the 3azaruane the

day before go together to the rier bank, where the kumichene ritual will take place.

)ach girl has prepared a wreath made of willow branches or spring flowers and floats it to

the surface of the water. They watch the wreaths flow down the rier to see which one will

be first in the row. The girl whose wreath reaches farthest becomes kumitsa 4 the leader of

the group, who is belieed to hae the magic power to chase away the dragon 0always

looking for a young girl to carry away with him0. &n the eening the lazarsko horo /circle

dance/ is played for the last time.



TzvetnitsaTzvetnitsa 0 2rubnitsa 0 is an important /pring festiity.

3ast /unday before )aster eerybody goes to church, from where they take to carry

home sanctified willow branches, which are belieed to help against 5eil eye6 and

different diseases.

%ll men, women and children with the name of a flower or tree celebrate their "ameday on Tzvetnitsa . On "ame days, no initation is needed to be a guest in any of the

celebrating homes. )eryone is welcome to share the treats of the family and bring

their present to the person with the name of a flower.

Margarita, 2ioleta, 3illy, 3aura and Tzetana hae their "ame day on Tzetnitsa.



K uk eriOn seeral occasions during the year, special ritual games called 1ukeri, take place in

Bulgaria. These games are performed by men only, dressed in colourful hand(madecostumes. The 1ukeri games aim to scare away the eil spirits with their magic dances,

so that the crops can grow well and the harest is rich.

The masked men jump, jingle with the bells, and make jokes. They roll on the ground

to gain power from it and become healthy. The bells are used in rituals of different cultures

as protection from bad magic.

The ritual games end with a big horo 0a circle dance0 in the centre of the illage. Then

the food and the money which the 1ukeri gathered during the carnial y make a feastwith.



The 1uker7s masks are decorated with colorful threads, ribbons, laces and pieces of mirrors

and usually represent animals like rams, goats, bulls, or een chicken. /ome of the masks

hae two faces. On one side a good(humored face with a snub nose, and on the other an

ominous face with a hooked nose, symbolizing the coexistence of 8ood and Bad.

The decoration colours are ery important9 !ed symbolizes fertility, sun fire:

Black represents Mother )arth, +hite is the symbol of water and light.

The 1ukers usually wear furry coats. )ach has a leather belt around the waist with big and loud

bells hanging from it. /ome carry wooden swords, brooms, or other fearful instruments in their

hands.



Butter2!:Butter2!:

Only girls in their early teens take part in this ritual.

The main personage is the Butterfly 4 a girl,

dressed in a white shirt and barefoot. /he is

decorated with different kinds of grass and weeds.The whole group goes around the illage singing a

special song ( re*uest to 8od for more rain. The

Butterfly dances as the girls spill water on her,

which she has to shake off, imitating raindrops.

Then they all go to the rier where they throw the green leaes and the decoration from the

butterfly, and sprinkle themseles with water.

Our Butterflies are more than one. %ll the girls wish to hae wings;



3ast3ast

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quick view on traditional spring festivities in bulgaria

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