Bulgarian Christmas miracles

published on 12/15/09 12:34 PM

Photo: BGNES

Bulgarian Christmas miracles

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Christmas is miracle time. The first who find out about season’s miracles, are the traditional Christmas carol singers who then spread the word among the community. These ritual messengers gather in small groups, and start a tour of the village on Christmas Eve. In some regions of Bulgaria, the tour of the carol-singers is warmed up by groups of kids. Radio Bulgaria’s Rumyana Panayotova has selected a few miracles from the traditional Bulgarian Christmas songs.

“Two doves flew and perched on the walnut tree”, children acting as Christmas carol singers announce early on the Bulgarian Little Christmas, 24 December. The lyrics of the song recount how doves break two branches from the tree and turn them into gold keys that miraculously unlock the earth and heaven. At this point the earthly and heavenly children embark on their tour that hymns the Infant God. Once the children break the news to the community, it is the turn of their elders. The son of every village family should go to the woods and look for a three-year oak with a straight trunk. He cuts the tree down, prunes it and takes the trunks home for the fireplace. In a symbolical way the trunk is planted at home. This trunk will thus become a budnik and will glow in the fireplace on Christmas Eve, so that the dreams and aspirations of the family come true. “However, a miracle takes place with the budnik”, the song goes. In it the tree trunk starts speaking like a human being, “I am a gold fruitful tree”, and further gives its vows to grow big, to leaf and blossom in silver and to yield fruit of gold. Finally the Infant God will descend from the miracle tree. Something quite similar takes place in the heavenly realm. From there two angels descend to the earth to cut down a peony tree. They will take it to Eden and use it to make an Eden church to carry out the mass glorifying the Infant God.

It’s Christmas time, and there are other heavenly messengers descending to meet humans. This time these are holy deer. There are special signs suggesting that they are not ordinary deer. Their horns are all gold, with suns shining on their foreheads and moons - on their breasts. In the woods they come across hunters, but fearless, the deer speak up: “Do not waste bow and arrow, we are only petty game; we are two holy deer and have come for Christmas to see how Christians venerate God.” In the meantime some of the chief Christian saints are also traveling the wide world. St. George inspects the farming fields and herds, to make sure that the harvest will be plentiful. On his way he encounters the Holy Virgin and she assures him that human wellbeing is secured. She is looking for a Baptist of her Infant. She comes across all saints and invites them to be godfathers. They however respectfully refer her to St. John the Baptist. When she encounters St. Peter and St. Demetrius she asks them to sing a song to hymn the Holy Nativity. The carol singers join in and then take the song to the community.

On Christmas just everything is possible. Christmas songs take us to village houses where the fathers break the round loaves of bread that easily turn into rivers of corn flowing in abundance into granaries. Rivers of milk and honey, gold and sliver gush out from the lavish festive meals. Christmas laid-out tables turn gold, carts turn silver. Miracles happen to grown up sons and daughters. Songs report on how young men race to compete with the Sun and propose to his sister Zornitsa (the Morning Star). The Sun itself eyes a girl whose beauty outshines its own brilliance. Other girls find gold apples in their yards. Younger girls obtain gold shirts as a gift from the Holy Virgin. Young boys swim across the Danube on horseback, full of health and vigor. The community elder accepts unusual visitors – three kings inviting him to become a king himself. With so many miracles around, the carol singers do not go away empty handed either. They get coins from village breadwinners as praise for their performance. In the hands of carol singer leader the coin transforms into a river of gold and silver. Listen finally to the Christmas song Amen, an expression of the hopes of the community that all wishes will become reality.

English version Daniela Konstantinova

По публикацията работи: Rumyana Panayotova

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Bulgarian Christmas miracles

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