Koledari
Koledari ( Serbian - Cyrillic Коледари ) are Slavic Christmas singers ( Old Slavic колѧда / kolęda , "winter festival"). The as Koledovanie ( Bulgarian Коледуване , Polish Kolędowanie , Slovenian Koledovanje , Serbian - Cyrillic koleda , Russian Колядование , Ukrainian Колядування ) called carol singing is a widespread custom in Bulgaria , Serbia , Russia , Ukraine , Belarus , the Czech Republic , the Slovak Republic and Poland . Christmas Day, which was celebrated as the birthday of the sun even before the introduction of Christianity, is a great musical event, especially in the rural regions of Bulgaria.
Customs in Bulgaria
One to two months before Christmas Day, young men come together, arrange themselves in groups and practice hundreds of Christmas carols every day that were handed down from their forefathers. Not everyone can be a Koledar (= Christmas singer). This requires musical talent and a sonorous, strong voice. According to other sources, the groups will not begin rehearsing until December 20 (Ignaschden - Bulgarian Игнажден ).
Bulgarian Christmas, Koleda or Roshdestvo Christowo , takes place on December 25th. The festival marks the end of a Lent of the Orthodox Church that begins on November 15th . The Christmas carols are mainly sung on Christmas Eve . They traditionally sing from midnight until sunrise on Christmas Day. The Christmas singers move from house to house as a group of up to 19 young men, mostly bachelors. They are led by a member of their group, whom they choose to be their leader and who is called the Stanenik (Bulgarian станеник ) or Tschetnik четник . Usually this is a slightly older man who is married and already has practice singing Christmas carols. The Koledari are dressed in the holiday version of the local national costume. The most important distinguishing marks are the cloak (which protects against the cold) and the large stick (Bulgarian koledárki ), which offers help and protection from dogs when walking through the snow.
A group is usually limited to the houses in their neighborhood. However, houses in which there is mourning are not visited. They sing their songs in front of the individual houses and on the way to the next house.
According to their main purpose, Christmas carols can be divided into several groups: There are among others
- Songs for on the go, before the house is where they should sing
- Songs performed when entering the house,
- Songs for the house
- Songs for the individual residents - for the master of the house, for the old woman, for the young men, the young bride, for the little girls and boys, for the soldier, for the clergyman, for the shepherd, for the hunter, etc.
The Koledari wish good health, happiness and prosperity for the coming year and pat the back of the people with decorated sticks made of cornel cherries . With their songs they should chase away the evil spirits. People give the Koledari pretzels, wine or money. A member of the group called Trochober (Bulgarian трохобер / mite collector ) or Magare (Bulgarian магаре / donkey) is responsible for carrying these gifts . He stows the presents in a double sack. Another porter collects the food that is not allowed to be eaten on fasting days, called Kotka (Bulgarian котка / cat) or Matzka (Bulgarian мацка / also cat). According to other information, the main task of the "cats" is to meow in front of the next house before the main group arrives , in order to announce the arrival of the Koledari.
Then the Koledari move on to the next house, and the same scheme is repeated. Of course, not all songs can be performed on the holiday, as the audition is based on the wishes of the homeowners. In total, the Koledari sing 60 to 70 different Christmas carols.
The Christmas carols are optimistic and full of life. Their melodies are festive, solemn and the lyrics are particularly poetic. They are performed antiphonically , that is, the men divide into two groups, one of which begins to sing, while the second waits initially and only begins as soon as the first group has reached the end of the first musical period . This is how a special kind of Zwiegesang (alternating song) comes about.
A boy was usually accepted into the adult circle just before Christmas. He put on an embroidered shirt and pants of the adults for the first time and took part in a group of male Christmas singers. From then on he could take part in the dances of the adults on Sundays and on public holidays (Reigentanz Horo ) and look around among the young women for a fiancé.
To be distinguished from the Koledari are the Koledartscheta (Bulgarian коледарчета ). This is the diminutive of Koledari with the definite article ("The Christmas Singers"). These are groups of children who go from house to house in the early evening and also sing Christmas carols.
The custom has given its name to the Koledari Knoll , a hill in Antarctica , since 2013 .
mythology
Traditionally, the Koledari sing from midnight on Christmas Eve until sunrise. In popular belief, special monsters appear at this time (a Karakondschul bulg. Караконджул - a very hairy human-like being with a large head, horns, a tail, only one eye and only one leg; half human, half horse), vampires , evil spirits ( Talasam - Bulgarian Таласъм ) and other supernatural beings. In Bulgarian folk belief, the Koledari have the power to drive these beings away through their song. With sunrise these beings lose their strength and the Christmas singing can be ended.
The young Christmas singers undertake a mythical journey into the hereafter, fight the evil forces there and come back safe and happy. Their temporary "death" and "resurrection" are symbols of the transition from childhood to adult life.
literature
- Стоян Джуджев: Българска народна музика. in 2 volumes. Volume I, Sofia 1970. (Bulgarian) (Stojan Dschudschew: Bulgarian folk music. )
- Christo Vakarelski: Bulgarian folklore. De Gruyter, Berlin 1969, pp. 313-316, ISBN 3-11-000266-3 .
- Mercia Macdermott: Bulgarian Folk Customs. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1998, ISBN 1-85302-486-4
Web links
- Koledari v Bistrica. Youtube video
Individual evidence
- ↑ Виноградова Л. Н. Колядование // Славянские древности: Этнолингвистический словарь в 5-ти томах / Под ред. Н. И. Толстого; Институт славяноведения РАН. - М .: Международные отношения, 1999. - Т. 2. - С. 563-575. - ISBN 5-7133-0982-7 . (The publication of the Russian Academy of Sciences )