"Midwifery Day"
A celebration of women who in the past assisted in childbirth. Many rituals are performed on this day, symbolizing honor and respect for the midwives of the past.
Before the sun rises, mothers of children up to three years old go to the fountain or spring to pour clean water. In the vessel in which they pour, they necessarily put geranium or basil. To express their gratitude to the grandmother who helped with the birth, young women go to the grandmother's house with a new towel and a bar of soap to "pour" the water poured in the morning. The watering is done outside, on the stairs, under a fruit tree or on the tree stump. Many women can visit a grandmother. Each of them hands the grandmother the soap, pours it on her to wash herself and presents her with the towel. While watering, the grandmother splashes water up with her hands and jumps three times, saying: "May the children giggle and turn white and red! As many drops, as many blessings and health!" Then the grandmother adorns the bride with a geranium tied like a martenitsa - for health.
When everyone lines up to water, they present the grandmother with more gifts, which they place on her shoulder – socks, shirts, and cloth. And she ties a red and white horse to the children she has given birth to with a silver coin and gives them socks and shirts.
You can read more about the holidays and customs in the collection
Folklore collection "Once upon a time - manners and worldview of the Bulgarians"
At noon, the grandmother-midwife welcomes her brides-guests to a festive table. Each woman has brought a banitsa, a roasted chicken, a pogacha and a baklitsa with wine or brandy. She kisses the hostess's hand and hands her the tray with the food. The grandmother's daughters-in-law and daughters-in-law are tasked with arranging a large, beautiful and rich table and the exuberant and cheerful feast begins, accompanied by lots of dancing and singing. Often, the grandmother puts a "necklace" of red peppers around her neck and performs a ritual for increased fertility for women by burning incense with a tile under their skirts.
After the feast, the men also appear in the grandmother's house. The culmination of the holiday is the ritual bathing of the midwife in the river or at the fountain. The men and women carry the old woman outside and put her on a sleigh or a cart, but they can also put her in a large wicker basket. The men dress up as "oxen", putting on leather masks and horns and drag the sleigh around the village. The grandmother is taken to the river and there the cart she is riding in turns. The noisy group washes the old woman in the water. The rite is widespread throughout the Bulgarian lands as the "drag" of the grandmothers. The holiday day ends in the village square, where a large dance is held, in which everyone joins in.
This is a custom that has emerged over the centuries, but today this day is dedicated to the doctors who delivered children and is an expression of gratitude to them. It is also called Maternity Assistance Day, officially celebrated since 1951.
© 2023 Iliana Dechkova