On January 1, the church celebrates the great Christian thinker, philosopher and writer St. Basil the Great (c. 330-379). He gave realization to the /Christ law of love and forgiveness, preaching mercy and charity. He organized the first charitable monastic center in Caesarea, where the sick and suffering received free help. That is why Basil was called "the Great" and after his death he was canonized by the church. His deeds are celebrated on the day of his death.
The Survakan
In the folk calendar, January 1 is a winter, pagan holiday with rich rituals. It is celebrated throughout the country. The day is called Vasilyovden, Vasilitsa, Vasilia, Survaki, Surva, Suruva, Surozdru. Throughout the country, the most characteristic custom is the Survakaneto. It is expressed by touching with a raw stick and wishing for health and prosperity. Usually, young children between 4 and 12 years old perform the survakan. Early in the morning, on the first day of the new year, the children gather in groups and set off around the village with their Survachki, of course starting the ritual calling from their home. The survachka is made of a dogwood stick, richly decorated with popcorn, threads, dried fruits, wool, and croissants. In different regions of the country, we can see survakniki that differ in shape and decoration. First, the children hit each member of the family with a stick, starting with the oldest, and congratulate:
"A rough, rough year,
Happy New Year,
green grain in the fields,
a large bunch of grapes on a vine,
yellow mammoth of the forest,
red apple in a garden,
a house full of silk,
See you next year,
next year, bye.”
You can read more about our holidays and customs in the collection:
Folklore collection "Once upon a time - manners and worldview of the Bulgarians"
The Survakar blessing (blessed, glory, prayer, sorvakia) is a verbal spell, so it is not sung, but spoken. Domestic animals are often also survaked. In some villages, children also sing songs. After saying their blessings, the hosts give them fruit, bread rolls, and small change. Dogwood has other magical properties. The buds of the survak are placed in the hens' nests to hatch more chickens, and women wash their hair with water in which they have secretly placed dogwood buds - so that it is thick and long.
In the distant past, only boys were survakali. In ancient times, society was strictly divided by gender and age. In this sense, the little survakali are the heirs of the ancient priests, and survakali is like an initiation and a transition from childhood to adolescence. Girls began to participate in this ancient custom at the beginning of the last century.
The beginning of the new calendar year
Unlike many other nations, in our country, January 1 has long been considered the beginning of the calendar new year. According to popular beliefs, the early morning of this day is the best time for fortune telling, because it marks the day of the winter solstice (although in practice it occurs a week earlier). Whatever the beans, thread, ring and all other objects for fortune telling have shown, that will happen during the year. Fortune telling is also done by the number of so-called dogwood buds that are placed in the New Year's pie. Whoever draws whatever, that will be his luck for the whole year.
The table
The festive table should be rich and abundant, and it is necessarily incensed with incense. This is the second of the three incensed evenings in folk life. The first is on Christmas Eve, and the last is on Epiphany (Yordanovden). Incense has magical properties. It sanctifies the table and the dishes placed on it, but also protects the home from spells, diseases and all kinds of evil forces. This first night of the new year is called the second Christmas Eve, but it is no longer blessed. Blessed dishes are prepared for the ritual table - mainly from pork, chicken (turkey); cake with honey, wheat, walnuts, oshav, but the central place is occupied by the lucky pie (or pita with steam), in which dogwood branches are placed, named after domestic animals, health, house, wealth. The head of the family turns the tray three times in honor of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The piece that falls against him is set aside for the Virgin Mary and placed under her icon. Then everyone chooses their own piece of the pie. This is the guarantee that luck is theirs and that what was predestined by the Lord has not fallen on someone else. The first bite of the pie is put by the maidens and bachelors under their pillow and whoever they dream of will be their future companion in life. When the feast is over, the unburned candle, the walnuts, the raw wheat and the firewood with the ashes from the Christmas dinner are kept.
© 2024 Iliana Dechkova