Traditions and customs of the ancient Bulgarians

A man, in order to be fit to support a family, must be able to build a house. And the main concern of the housewife was to arrange and decorate the house and turn it into a home. In different regions of the country, they arranged their houses in different ways. But whether it is a large city home, decorated with rich embroidered carpets or a rural adobe cottage, furnished with the most necessary things - there is one common feature in the Bulgarian home: everywhere we have harmony and order in space.

Construction of a new house

On the first day of construction, a sacrifice was made. A chicken or lamb was slaughtered, which was done over the foundations. This way, the blood soaked into them and gave them strength. If the sacrificial animal was a lamb, its head was buried in the place of the threshold. The sacrifice was supposed to appease the spirits and protect the owners from illness and bad luck.

The animal slaughtered in this way became a sacrifice for the house, so that no one from the household or the first person to step on the threshold of the new home would become a victim. This sacrificial custom is very old and in the beginning the sacrifice was human, especially when building public buildings. According to legend, every public building needs its own patron spirit. Therefore, builders offered a human sacrifice by building in a living person or, in later times, just his shadow. According to legend, this gave the building strength.

Embedding the shadow

The sacrificial custom is very old. At first, the victim was human. According to legend, every public building needs its own patron spirit. Therefore, builders offered a human sacrifice by building in a living person or, in later times, just his shadow. According to legend, this gave the building strength. During construction, the masters left an unfinished space. Someone would inevitably pass by there - inadvertently and out of ignorance or through deception. Then the masters would push him inside and build him in. To build in the shadow of the person, the masters would take a measure of his shadow with a stick, reed or rope, of course, without the knowledge of the doomed person. Then they would build it into the foundations or into another part of the building. Soon after this act, the victim would begin to wither, fall ill and die or turn into a ghoul.

This harsh pagan custom has been going on for a very long time. It is believed that some bridges such as Pavlekyupryusi on the Erkene River (a tributary of the Maritsa River) or Kadin Bridge on the Struma River, or Marinov Bridge near Perushtitsa were retained only because the craftsmen built a woman or a shadow of a person. When the mosque in the village of Madara was demolished, a whole human skeleton was found at its base. Either a person was built in or, more likely, the foundations fell over a grave.

Laying the foundations

When the foundations are filled with quarry stone, the master takes a hewn stone, shaped with a hammer, and begins to turn it in one of the corners of the building, climbs on it and says to the owner: "Master, you have a stone, the kyushe is not breathing, it needs a stone/wedge/". The owner must donate him money and the master begins to build the foundations.

The laying of the foundation stone is a custom of more recent times. A stone suitable for a corner is first selected and a hole is carved in it. The act of starting the construction is written on parchment paper. The date, the name of the master, the designer, the supervisor are mentioned and all those present are signed. Then the paper is rolled up, placed in a glass jar with oil or olive oil, corked and poured with melted wax; it is placed in the hole, where a few coins are placed and the hole is cemented. Then this stone is built into one of the corners. Sometimes 4 glass jars with holy water are placed in the 4 corners, and in other bottles with oil the act of starting the construction is placed, and coins are always placed.

These customs related to the laying of the foundation stone were practiced both in the construction of private homes and in the construction of public buildings. In the latter, a celebration was organized with appropriate speeches about the significance of the building for society.

Roof construction

When the walls of the house are ready, the construction of the roof begins. This lasts about 2 days. A wooden cross is nailed to the highest vertical beam. A linden bark in the shape of an arc is nailed above it. Everything is decorated with flowers and the shouting of a blessing for the home or takiya begins. It is time for the housewife to present the master with a new shirt. Then he climbs to the cross, facing east, and begins to shout a blessing loudly and clearly. It is important that the shouting is loud. Therefore, if the master does not have a strong voice, the takiya is called by another master. The takiya also has another purpose - this is how the neighbors understand that the construction is nearing its end and can present the masters with Kapan towels and cloths. A takiya is called for each gift brought. The gifts are collected and divided between the masters, with the shirt being placed on the master-bass. The more gifts the masters received, the more friends the master had. . Upon receiving each individual gift, the shouting is repeated. In this case, only all the other workers work, and the one who shouts leaves his work and begins his monotonous song.

Takiya from the area of the town of Smyadovo: Thank you, masters! From our soup cook came a gift as white as snow, as red as a gyul, which is worth 125 imperial polas! As many threads as there are on the gift, so may its yellows be! He made the master saydis and the journeymen happy! May the Lord help him to go to a holy place! May he record his mother, father, family, relatives and neighbors! May he go praised, may he return grateful and free from all evil! A collective "Amen" follows and the caller ties the gift to the wooden cross placed on the ridge. This is repeated many times during the next offering of a gift.

After the house is completed, other rituals follow. The new home is entered before sunrise. An elderly person who is not from the family always enters first. He must carry a rye, a pitcher of water, and a tongs to light the hearth. After that, the family can settle in.

Kalesvane/blessing of the new home

After settling in, it was time for the consecration of the home. The hosts would choose a suitable day, usually a holiday. Again, the sacrificial animal was obligatory, and it was desirable to slaughter a lamb or calf. The house must be sanctified with holy water so that it would be healthy and free from evil spirits. The priest would sing hymns to the table named for the new home and wish for a long life, health and prosperity. A person chosen by the hosts – a charioteer – would go around with a jug of wine and invite friends and relatives to the consecration. Each guest would light candles on the walls and bring a gift for the new home, and the godfather would throw a handful of coins upon entering.