VT Times, May 2012

Recommendations

Info

Holidays and celebrations * = public holiday May 1st Tuesday* – Zamskiden (Snake Day) and Den Na Truda (Labour Day) May 6th Sunday* – St George’s Day also Bulgarian Army Day (see opposite) May 9th Wednesday – Victory Day – celebration of the Russian defeat over Nazi Germany May 11th Friday – St Cyril and St Methodius Day May 12th Saturday - German Gradushkar or German the Hailman May 24th Thursday - 1st Grade in schools finishes for the summer ... combines with ... May 25th Friday* – Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonik Alphabet Day (schools closed) Both on 11th and 24-25th May, Bulgarians celebrate the saints who founded the Cyrillic alphabet – St Cyril and St Methodius. Bulgaria was the first country in the world to adopt this early alphabet, sometime between 855 and 900 AD. The Greek brothers, who worked throughout their lives to develop the culture and language of the Slavic countries, were officially canonized as joint patron saints of Europe by Pope John Paul II in 1980 – but their day has been commemorated since the 11th Century according to many sources. The celebration of their incredible achievement is now a national holiday here in Bulgaria. They developed this new language in order to translate The Bible into a tongue that Slavic nations could understand, and are celebrated not only in Bulgaria but in Russia, Macedonia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our very own university Market days Dryanovo vegetables, clothes, household goods, some livestock. Near the Park Hotel - every Saturday Dzhulyunitsa (Dshuljuniza) just off the Varna road. Agricultural, fruit & veg … with occasional pigs for sale - every Sunday Elena vegetables, poultry and plants just up from the main square also clothes etc. behind the football stadium - every Sunday Gorna Oryahovitsa agricultural fruit & veg market every day, clothes etcetera adjacent to the bus station and a flea market across from Kaufland - every Friday Pavlikeni various goods, tupperware, clothes, fruit and veg … from the main square, between M-Tel and the Town Hall, turn right - every Tuesday Polski Trambesh fruit & veg, clothes, bric a brac ... either side of the railway tracks - every Wednesday Sevlievo various goods, clothes, fruit and veg … every Friday Veliko Tarnovo fresh fruit & vegetable market every day on the corner of “Nikola Gabrovski” and “Bulgaria” boulevard from mother Bulgaria, head up the main street (turning left if your back is to Mother Bulgaria) and the market is at the major road junction, approx. five minutes walk. See Map, centre. in Veliko Tarnovo is named after the brothers. Is YOUR market not listed? Let us know: email editor@vttimes.net 4 All our advertising rates are shown on page 40
St George: a saint for two countries Saint George enjoys a celebration in Bulgaria that is even more important and noticeable than the celebrations in England. It’s one of the biggest spring festivals and name days. For the saint is not just England’s patron, but the patron saint of herds and shepherds. There are deep-rooted, probably pagan, traditions associated with goats and sheep, that have combined with Orthodox religion to give the rituals that survive today in Bulgaria. While England’s pastoral lifestyle may be something of the past, in Bulgaria it remains very much a part of everyday life. This day is an ideal time to celebrate the common pasts and mutual aims of our two countries, especially for English expats living in Bulgaria. May 6th is known as Гергьовден - Gergyovden, also Gergjovden or Gergevden, or Gurgevden or even Jourjovden. OK, it can be a little confusing! Even more confusingly, St George is celebrated on April 23rd in the UK. It’s all about the Julian and Gregorian calendars … and can’t be readily explained. But here in BG, May 6th is most definitely the day. It’s a name day for anyone with a derivation of “George” - and that’s a pretty long list. This holiday, falling on a Sunday this year, is a national day off. There are many rituals that are centred around agriculture, good harvests, productivity, wellbeing and health. In England, despite recent efforts to increase the day’s importance, not many people celebrate it and you don’t even get a day off. Maybe some will wear a rose or fly the flag, which England adopted in the 12th century. Though both Boris Johnson and Andrew Rosindell MP are campaigning for St. George’s Day to be a national holiday in England, there is a distinct lack of celebration in the UK. In Bulgaria however, traditions remain strong. On the night before St George’s Day, girls pick flowers and herbs. Three flower wreaths are made: one for the sheep who traditionally get their first milking, one for the lamb that will be sacrificed (it’s customary to cook an entire lamb on this day) and one for that first bucket with milk in it. Farmers decorate their homes and their livestock quarters with greenery. Herbs are fed to the animals and eaten by the farmers. Gergyovden bread is made the night before, see page 18 for the recipe. Sheep and goats are taken out to graze before sunrise and then brought home for the first ritual milking. People may roll in the morning dew, wash in or drink it, to bestow health on themselves. That spring’s first born male lamb is the one chosen to be sacrificed to Saint George. This is a highly ritualistic process, with flowers, candle and blood, but traditions vary from region to region. If it rains on May 6th it’s seen as very lucky, with every drop “carrying a golden coin”. Typically, the whole village is invited to join in a feast, with Gergyovden bread a central feature. The feast should also include the whole roasted lamb, fresh milk, sirene cheese, yogurt, a milk and rice desert, raw garlic, boiled wheat, pastry with butter, pork brawn, cheese banitsa and eggs. In some regions, children throw the crumbs from the Gergyovden bread and sometimes girls stand next to the feast: both are believed to encourage tall growth and fertility of the crops. The village host buries a red Easter egg in the fields for fertility. Sometimes, villages set light to any straw left over from the Christmas dinner, particularly on the fields. There are Horo dances and, in some places, a pregnant woman (poor thing) is supposed to dance around the large village table all day long waving a green frond. Dancing goes on into the late hours, sometimes in national costume. Swings are also important for balance and health, so get out to a children’s playground and enjoy! St George is also celebrated in Catalonia, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Egypt, Georgia, Gozo, Greece, India, Iraq, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia and the Ukraine! St George also helps unite faiths, even if only briefly. Both Muslims and Christians in Bulgaria celebrate and, in the Holy Land, go to an eastern orthodox shrine at Beith Jala near Jerusalem together. Muslims believe St George will cure all people of madness. We can only hope so. www.vttimes.net • info@vttimes.net • 088 293 1456 5
Page 1 and 2: FREE Please take one Issue 4 • Ma
Page 3 and 4: Welcome This is my favourite time o
Page 5: spreads. With a student population
Page 9 and 10: A growing concern ... We are deligh
Page 11 and 12: Useful numbers G E N E R A L FREE C
Page 13 and 14: Work on the web There are also many
Page 15 and 16: And now we REALLY reach the crescen
Page 17 and 18: To Sofia: Fast, direct trains only
Page 19 and 20: Doctors д-р ВЕСЕ МИХАЙЛ
Page 21 and 22: In the night skies … 4th May - La
Page 23 and 24: Ul. Stoyan Mihaylovski tadium kola
Page 25 and 26: every week: dates for your diary: A
Page 27 and 28: Classifi ed ads For sale: Wooden fr
Page 29 and 30: But to start actively trading, rath
Page 31 and 32: To Veliko Tarnovo from Pavlikeni 06
Page 33 and 34: Cryptic crossword kindly supplied b
Page 35 and 36: on getting my motorbikes over; now
Page 37 and 38: Letters to the editor … Dear edit
Page 39 and 40: Sporting fi xtures Start times in l
Page 41 and 42: Trade directory Builders / Craftsme
Page 43 and 44: IMPORTER OF THE FINEST QUALITY FOOD

VT Times, May 2012

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?