South-West University "Neofit Rilski"

The text is an excerpt from the brochure Routes for Cultural Tourism in the Cross-Border Region Bulgaria-Greece, published within the framework of the implemented activities of the project Integrating Bulgaria-Greece cross-border significance historical and archaeological assets into one sustainable thematic tourist destination (Borderless culture). The project is financed by the Interregional cooperation program INTERREG, and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and by national funds of the countries participating in the INTERREG V-A Cooperation Program "Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020".

 

Babugeri in Staro Strumsko, Southwestern Bulgaria

Masquerade games are one of the most traditional customs on the Balkans. In southwest Bulgaria and northern Greece these customs are mainly related to the New Year, which of course coincides with the beginning of the astronomical year and the increase of daylight after the winter solstice marked in the calendar with the holidays between Ignazden and Yordanovden. One of the places in southwest Bulgaria where you can see Kukeri ritual is Blagoevgrad. In the so called Old Strumsko (part of the Strumsko neighborhood of the town of Blagoevgrad) the Kukeri group walks around the neighborhood three times a year - on December 8, on Vassilyovden and on January 14, New Year's Eve in old style.

The most important walk is on Vassilyovden when all the participants in the carnival gather in the square in front of St. Dimitar church at a predetermined time and depart on the usual route. The procession is led by the musicians, priest, bride and groom. Around them, the babugeri (another word for kukeri) dance, followed by the other personages. Their goal is to walk around all the houses in Old Strumsko to wish for health and prosperity in the New Year. Finally they return to the square again to play their final dance in front of their waiting spectators.

Strumsko. The usual road trough Strumsko.	Strumsko. The wedding procession.

The kukeri group consists of masked participants wearing several types of masks. The most interesting and at the same time extremely expensive to make and to keep are the masks and costumes made of long hair goat fur. The color of the costumes varies from gray-white, dark brown to black.

An important part of the participants in the carnival procession are also the personages who re-create the image of an old man. Most often they are wearing a traditional costume. The men wear breeches, a shirt, a belt, and they must have an artificial hump on their back, they walk bent over and lame, leaning on curved long rods. The female personages are dressed in a traditional costume. They also walk bent over, but unlike men, they carry on their back a baby sling in which they have a baby (usually a doll) or agricultural products. The faces of old men today are hiding behind comic rubber masks.

Strumsko, The Final	dance

Among the main ritual personages in the masquerade group are also the bride and groom, as the re-creation of the idea of a wedding is an important part of the carnival. Their zoomorphic version is one or two bears led by a bear handler; they often mimic sexual poses and sexual acts. Another important participant in the Kukeri group is the priest, dressed in a priestly garment and a kalimavkion. In his hands he is holding a copper full of water and a bunch of box shrub or wild geranium, with which he blesses people.

Strumsko. Bears led by a bear handler.	Strumsko. Gypsy belly dancers and other personages.

Along with the personages mentioned above, the Kukeri group often includes gypsy belly dancers, masks from the modern reality such as nurses, doctors, singers, etc. Last but not least, we should mention that animals bred in Strumsko, usually donkeys, sometimes cocks, goats and others, are still part of the carnival procession. Donkeys are usually pulling a plough, with which they are ploughing symbolically or the donkeys are harnessed to carts decorated with agricultural equipment and products.

 

Araps in Volakas, Greece

The New Year's celebrations in Greek village Volakas culminate on the 6th, 7th and 8th January, when Saint Jordan's day, Saint John's day and the Day of the midwife are celebrated.

People are in a cheerful mood on Ivanovden since the morning, because the Araps will come out on that day. By lunchtime, everyone gathers in the square where a meal of donated goat kid meat is traditionally prepared. Since the weather is cold and the streets are covered with snow, locals prepare wild bonfires and a big pot of hot tea for the frozen tourists who come from all over Greece and neighboring Bulgaria to watch the carnival.

If you prefer to look for the Araps rather than stay in the square, you have to go along the streets of Volakas. You will surely find them, gathered in a garage where they are preparing feverishly, because the preparation is not an easy job - it takes hours.

Volakas, Preparation for the masquerade.

The masquerade group consists of two types of ritual personages - Araps and a bride with a groom. The Araps are men, bachelors and little boys dressed in а specific clothing - several layers of blankets are wrapped around their waists to look thick, an artificial hump is made on their back; they wear a long to the knees or ankles sleeveless jacket of woolen fabric, traditional shoes made of wild pig skin, the head and shoulders are covered with goat skin, and massive bells hang on the waist. The hands are bare, but painted in black. The face is also painted in black. To finish their appearance, the Araps put a wooden hammer at the front of the belt and a massive wooden sword, which they use as support while dancing. The bride and the groom are also men, but dressed in a traditional male and female costume.

Volakas. The bride and the groom	dance with araps.

The Araps are ready at about 2-3 o'clock in the afternoon and they go to the center. Gathered in one place, they jangle, and the bride and groom dance between them. The main goal of Tsaousis is to protect the bride, but as she is provocative, and touching her brings luck and fertility throughout the year, everyone is trying to get closer to her. However, if someone reaches her, she grabs him with a kneading cloth, and the Araps approach and press the neck of the daredevil with their swords, then blacken his face. If you look closely at the photos, you will see black spots on the faces of all spectators.

The biggest challenge for spectators is to grab the small Araps. This is also the most risky action because it causes a raging anger in adults. If you hear a jangle, you should know that a daredevil has tried his luck, but shortly after that, the whole company has gathered around to punish him and expel him.

Volakas, spectator grabs the small Arap.	Volakas, Araps punish the spectator who has tried to snatch the small Araps.

Another important moment is when the bride disapears unnoticed. Immediately, there is someone to abduct her and to show her on the balcony of a predetermined house, grabbing demonstratively the string of gold coins hanging on her chest. The groom gets angry and tries to get her back, and the Araps jangle threateningly and do not calm down until the culprit is brought and punished with the typical push of the swords on his neck.

 

Carnival Wedding, Volakas, Greece

On the 8^th of January in Volakas a traditional wedding with all the accompanying rituals is performed; it is continuation of the masquerade that takes place on Ivanovden. In the past, the wedding was "sterile", i.e. the wedding couple consisted of two men. Nowadays, the ritual is updated and women are actively involved. The biggest change is that a woman, not a man, is chosen for a bride. Today, the bride and the groom are selected beforehand and often are not residents of Volakas but are traditions fans coming from other settlements in Greece.

The wedding begins around noon and ends 3-4 later. Since the ritual is not recreated on a stage, traditionally there are three houses scattered around the village where the participants are getting prepared and the rituals related to the best man, the groom and the bride are performed. Thus the whole village becomes a stage of the wedding ceremony.

The wedding ritual begins at the groom's house where he gets dressed up in a traditional man's costume. All the members of his entourage - the brother-in-law, the musicians, etc., are also wearing traditional costumes. They walk around the houses in the form of a festive procession to invite to the wedding. You will recognize the invited by the piece of cotton in their hat.

Volakas. Veiling the	bride.

At the same time, girls and women have gathered at the bride's house. They are part of the bride's entourage, so are the present tourists. Everyone is treated as a dear guest and enjoys "blaga rakiya" (hot and sweet brandy). At the bride's house you can see what the traditional wedding costume in Volakas looked like, and especially how the "veiling" of the bride is done. When she is ready, the participants gather around a table with ritual bread. The oldest woman blesses the bread, breaks it over the head of the future bride and then distributes it to the people.

Volakas. Veiling the bride and bread ceremony

The most important person in the wedding rituals in the past is the best man. Inviting the best man to the wedding is a very hard process - a procession by the groom invites him twice but he agrees and leaves when asked for the third time.

How is a best man invited to the wedding? An chain dance is danced in front of the groom's house, which grows into a festive procession - the musicians are walking in front, followed by the groom's brother-in-law carrying the wedding banner, followed by the parents, relatives and close friends. When they reach the best man's house and notify about the reason for their visit, the best man does not agree - the tradition requires him to refuse. That is why the procession goes back and after a short break they dance horo once more and go on the familiar route. The best man does not agree again and sends them away.

Volakas. Wedding procession.	Volakas. Best man and best woman have to go through the bride's door.

He agrees when he is asked for the third time and then he invites the wedding procession to his house to treat and bless the attendees; then he leads a horo to the bride's home. However, when they arrive there, it turns out they cannot get in - the bride's girlfriends have locked the door and they do not let anyone in. Traditionally, the best man and the best woman have to go through this obstacle by paying the requested amount of money. Only then the bride can be taken out.

Now the wedding procession continues to the church. When they arrive in the center of the village, a priest is waiting for them to perform a marriage ceremony. The priest has prepared a special Bible in which there are pictures of naked men and women instead of evangelical texts. To entertain the spectators, when he passes the Bible to the groom, he opens the picture of a naked man and when he approaches the bride he opens a picture of a naked woman. After the marriage, the guests go to greet the newlyweds, to give them gifts and to be blessed by the priest with the same illustrated Bible. The final part of the ritual is related to the introduction of the young bride in the groom's house and wild dances.

Volakas. The marriage ceremony.	Volakas. Wild dances in front of groom's house.

 

Gergyovden in the Village of Breznitsa, Gotse Delchev district, Bulgaria

St. George's Day (Gergyovden) is one of the best spring holidays, coinciding with the beginning of the new agricultural and cattle-breeding year. The traditional man in the recent past honored it more than Easter, saying: Easter is a nice day, but St. George's Day is a lot nicer. In the past, and even today at some places, along with the Kurban (the sacrifice of a male lamb), which is obligatory on this day, special St. George's dances are playing, young people are swaying on swings, specially set up for the day, various rituals related to the herds are performed, etc.

St. George's Day marks the beginning of a new nature cycle, and as at any beginning, it is possible to predict what is going to happen during the year. In Breznitsa, a village in Gotse Delchev region, located at the foot of Pirin by singing over bunches on St. George's Day, it is intended to predict in a ritual-magical way what is to come next - whether you will be healthy, whether you will marry, whether you will travel a lot, and so on. For this purpose, women, especially girls, prepare bunches for themselves and for their relatives the day before the feast.

Gergyovden in the Village of Breznitsa.	Woman prepares bunches.

The bunches (small bouquets) consist of flowers which blossom on St. George Day, wild geranium and a specially picked and dried for that day flower, which the locals call small balls. It is necessary to add a mark to the bunch. The mark is an object entitled to a particular person. In the past, the marks were buttons, rings, necklaces and other household items. Today their variety is large and modern, ranging from various toys to objects that somehow characterize the one for whom the bunch is prepared.

Gergyovden in the Village of Breznitsa. Young girl unlocks the padlock.	Gergyovden in the Village of Breznitsa. The mirror ritual.

At nightfall, bunches are taken to a place, selected beforehand. They are put on a large rug and mingled to ensure randomness of the choice the next day. Mingled bunches are placed in a container with silent (malchana) water. The container is covered with a woolen apron and a mirror and is locked with a padlock. According to the tradition, it should be put under a rose bush for the night.

Early the next morning, even before the sunrise, the women get together again. They sit around the vessel with bunches. The singers are in the front row and they sit in pairs because the singing of the songs is in two-parts. The girl who will be pulling out bunches sits on a low chair across them. The other women and children sit around. The girl covers her legs with a colorful rug, unlocks the padlock, pulls off the chains, takes the mirror and looks in it, and then she turns it around so that everyone can also look in the mirror. When the ground is lit by the sun, the singers start singing in two parts, and the girl pulls out the first bunch, lifts it up so that the mark can be seen and thus to recognize whose bunch it is.

Gergyovden in the Village of Breznitsa. Pulling out	the bunches.

This action is repeated again and again until all the bunches are pulled out.

 

Dimitriya Spasova - author and photographer

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