Students from “ST. PAISSIY HILENDARSKI HIGH SCHOOL present CHRISTMAS in BULGARIA

Christmas Christmas is the biggest winter festival according the Bulgarian folk calendar. As we know it marks the transition of a status into another one. The night on December 24th is the first stage of the Christmas celebration. The things and the dishes put on the table tell us much more about the nature of the festival.

Christmas Eve dinner The kravay bogovitsa * The kravay bogovitsa * is put in the middle as a symbol of the bloodless sacrifice given to God. The dishes on the table are lenten and odd (seven or nine): stuffed peppers, sarmi**, beans, cabbage, pumpkin-pastry, oshav***, garlic. The abundance of every ritual table is an illustrated example of the desirable world status and this is the reason of the rite made by the Bulgarians.stuffed peppers sarmi**, pumpkin-pastry oshav***,

When the table is laid all the family gathers around it and the oldest man or the house owner takes some embers from the Yule log, sprinkles them with some incense and incense three times the table and the family members. After that he takes the kravay bogovitsa and bowing says three times: - Come, My Lord, come and have dinner with us!

The Yule-log The Yule-log is an oak log especially chosen and put on fire at Christmas Eve. It is kept to burn all night. Its solemn bringing at home by a bachelor or by the house owner is accompanied by traditional words glorifying God. Having been brought to the fireplace it is greased with consecrated oil, incense and wine.

This is accompanied with special ritual songs about the tree used by the young God to go down. The songs are performed by the lassies in the family. In the evening the log is put on fire and according its burning people foretell the harvest in the coming year. The Yule-log on fire is related to the idea of the resurgent Sun and to the image of the world tree which makes the connection between the sky and the earth.

Koledari Koledari are a group of young bachelors. A couple of days before Christmas Eve they start to learn traditional songs and make teams of koledari. Every team has its own leader who is older and is called ‘stanenik’ or ‘tzar’. The ‘stanenik’ prepares a special ritual piece of wood which he brings during the rite ‘koleduvane’. It is decorated with an apple painted in gold, a kravay, red threads, green branches, coins etc…

The koledari go in every house and everywhere they sing songs glorifying and blessing every family member living in the house. The hosts give them a lot of presentssing songs

December 25 th In the morning children look for their presents. Everybody is happy because they receive the desired gift. The Lent is already over. The dishes are various and very delicious.

January 1 st Surva Survakari are masked dancers who wear coats made of goat skin or “tatters” and pointed hats around six feet high. They have large bells tied around their waists which clang loudly as they move. They carry wooden swords and a decorated cornel twig called a sourvachka.

They “appear” in Breznik and Radomir Districts, Shopluk Region around the time of New Year’s Eve, travel in groups of seven or nine dancers from house to house and bring with them wishes for good health. They are followed by various characters such as “gods”, clowns, a physician, a bride, or animals. When two groups meet they often fight a “mock” battle. This custom is of Slav origin.

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Christmas Eve recipes The kravay bogovitsa* Ingredients: 1 kg of flour ½ matches box of yeast 1 tea spoon of soda bicarbonate 1 tea spoon of sugar 1 tea spoon of salt Sunflower oil Preparation: Dilute the yeast in a little cool water with a little sifted flour. Leave it in a warm place. After the rising add the yeast into the rest of the flour, add the salt, the soda and water as much as the flour can absorb. Knead the dough and spread it in a oiled baking dish, pt a coin in it, leave it to rise once again. Make a cross sign with the spoon. Bake about 30 minutes. Back to Christmas Eve dinnerTHE END

Christmas Eve recipes Stuffed peppers Ingredients: dried red peppers 1 large onion 1 carrot 1 tea cup of rice 3 tea cups of water ½ tea cup of raisins salt black pepper paprika savory parsley oil Preparation: Clean the red peppers from the seeds and put them in cold water to swell up for about 15 minutes. Fry the finely sliced onion, the grated carrot and the rice. Add the raisins with the salt, the black pepper, the savory, the parsley and the paprika. Add water and leave it to boil on a moderate fire until the rice swells up. Fill the peppers with this stuffing, put them in a small dish, cover 2/3 of them with water and bake in a moderate oven. Back to Christmas Eve dinnerTHE END

Christmas Eve recipes Sarmi** Ingredients: 25 wine leaves 1 tea cup of rice 1 handful of raisins 2 tablespoons of tomato purée ½ tea cup of sunflower oil 2 onions salt black pepper ½ bunch of dill a pinch of cinnamon Preparation: Slice finely the onion and stew it in the oil, add the rice and continue stewing. Add 1 tea cup of water, the raisins and the spices. Mix well and leave it to cool. After that scoop up the mixture with a tea spoon and put it in the wine leaf and make small sarmi. Put them in a pan and cover them with warm water in which you have added the tomato purée and a tea spoon of salt. Boil on a slow fire for about 45 minutes. Serve them lightly cool. Back to Christmas Eve dinnerTHE END

Christmas Eve recipes Pumpkin-pastry Ingredients: 1 packet of fine sheets of pastry 1 kg of pumpkin 1 tea cup of sugar 100 g of baked walnuts cinnamon 1 tea cup of sunflower oil Preparation: Grate the pumpkin and sprinkle it with the sugar, the ground walnuts and some pinches of cinnamon. Put 1 tbs of oil on every sheet and distribute evenly the filling. Roll the sheets. Put them in a large baking oiled dish and put on them some sunflower oil. Bake it in a moderate oven. Before serving sprinkle it with some castor sugar. Back to Christmas Eve dinnerTHE END

Christmas Eve recipes Oshav*** Ingredients: 2 handfuls of dried fruit – apples, pears, plums, apricots or cherries a pinch of cinnamon few grains of clove one leaf of geranium Preparation: Wash well the fruit, pour them with 5-6 cups of water and boil them soft. Add the clove and geranium and boil few minutes more. Then take the ready oshaf out of the fire. Back to Christmas Eve dinnerTHE END