Happy New 2012 Year, few Bulgarian New Year
traditions / customs
Happy 2012 New Year . Wish to everyone best of luck, good
health and best of success in the new upcoming year!
There is few customs, which are very typical for Bulgarian
Christmas and New Year.
As I'm so keen on tradition and I'm sure many non-bulgarians are
not aware of the Bulgarian custom, I'll try to name few of them and
shed some light for foreigners who are about to celebrate the
Christmas or New year eve in Bulgaria.
One is the back (spine) tapping, done by youngsters to elders with
a stick made of cornel-tree and decorated in a very special
beautiful way.
Here is how the stick the youngsters use to wish happy new year in
a traditional bulgarian custom way.
The back tapping to the elder is accompanied by famous words in
Bulgarian saying:
Surva, Surva Godina!
Chervena Qbylka v Gradina,
edyr klas na niva,
golqm grozd na loza,
jylt mamul na lesa,
pylna kyshta s deca!
Jivo-zdravo do godina,
do godina do Amina!
This translated to english says something like:
Healthy (Complete), Healthy Year!
Red Apple in a Garden,
Large grapes in the vineyeard,
Yellow corn in the field,
full house with children!
Living-healthy until next year
in these year until the next one.
Actually this New Yearly wishings had different minor text
variations in different regions of Bulgaria, but the main meaning
is anyhow preserved.
Kid using Survaknica to back tap some older man according to our
tradition
You can see how simple and the same time meaningful those wishings
are. They accent to the main things which were important for our
forefathers. The things on which the yearly daily life
depends.
Here is a video of some children in the kinder garden reciting the
Surva, Surva wishing holding Survaknici
I've seen for the last 10 years these tradition as a consequence of
the internationalization is starting to disappear. Now most of the
times only in villages and some small regions these tradition is
still practiced.
In cities gipsys are going in the early morning of the New Year
morning and knocking on each apartment door offering a back
tapping. Once they back tap you with Survaknica and wish you
good things you're supposed to give them some food, candies and /
or money ;)
Its also common that in the morning of the New Year a lot of
folklore ensambles dance on the centers of cities and villages or
sing Bulgarian folklore songs.
Some of the other things which are a kind of traditional on New
Year is to go out on the city center and fire up some fires and
dance some traditional dance we call Horo near the camping
fire.