In Bulgaria the first of March is revered
as a special day and occasion. It is a day that symbolizes the start of spring.
The world that has been covered in snow for four odd months begins anew. This
day is referred to as Baba Marta.
Baba Marta literally translates into Grandmother March. Now, Baba Marta could
be argued to be the Bulgarian personification of Mother Nature, but only for
this single day. The day itself becomes a celebration, especially in the
village where people depend on self-sufficient life and crops. An early spring
would mean earlier planting and a more bountiful summer. The day is marked by
buying little intertwined red and white string, often decorated with evil eyes
and other bits and bobs. The tradition goes that you tie this string around yourself
and wear it until you see a stork.
The Dying Generation is a biographical ethnographic depiction of the lives of the people born in the early to mid-1900's. I have been granted a unique insight into the lives of the "previous" generation in my life and journeys. The men and women that I will be highlighting have lived through the economic transition of the United Arab Emirates and the fall rise and fall of the communist state in Bulgaria.
Showing posts with label Tsarevets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tsarevets. Show all posts
Bulgarian Independence day: Part 2 The Church
Part 2
After lunch, which
included a shot of Rakia obviously. We high tailed it back to the center of
town where Kmiet awaited us. On our way there, Dan made a very true comment
about Bulgarian and Polish drinking culture. "There are only two occasions
on which you can drink," Dan remarked "When it's your birthday and
when it's not." Some people obviously take that statement too much to
heart, but wine and Rakia flow like water in Tsarevets, especially during
dinners and proper occasions. We headed into Kmiet's office which was up a
flight of stairs in the central building.
Bulgarian Independence day: Part 1 - Celebrations
Part 1
March 3rd
was an important day in the year 1878. It was the day a peace treaty was signed
between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. It allowed the reestablishment of the
country of Bulgaria, which had been occupied for nearly 500 years by the
Ottomans. To this day many Bulgarians have an almost genetic distrust of Turks,
this is especially true for the dying generation who lived under the communist
government. Skipping ahead 137 years we arrive to today, March 3rd
2015. On this day I was finally able to take part in the celebrations of
Bulgarian independence from Ottoman hold.
A Birthday for a Kmiet
1
Kmiet is the Bulgarian word for Mayor and
even though we have been on good terms with the mayor who presides over the
village my family owns a house in, we often refer to him as Mayor/Kmiet more
than his given name. That being the case I will refer to him as Kmiet. We have
known Kmiet for several years already since our six years of owning our house
in Bulgaria. We have spent many a times having dinner, BBQs, and drinks in both
formal and non-formal occasions but ever since the death of his beloved wife
and the diagnosis of his cancer, he has become a lonely man, who even though he
protests to invitations to dinner, he always happily accepts and can spend
hours talking about times of the past as well as his sons and grandchildren.
That is enough for his brief introduction however, I will talk about and
elaborate on Kmiet and his life in the later, but for now I will discuss the
night my father and I spent at his party celebrating his 78th birthday.
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