The entire cycle of holiday celebrations starting with Christmas and ending with Epiphany, January 6, is dedicated to making wishes, giving blessings and engaging in soothsaying about luck and prosperity throughout the New Year.

"Surva' is the key magic word related to the New Year rituals. In some regions in the country New Year's Eve is called Surva. A group of carol singers, usually men or boys, tours the homes and pats the members of the household with a cornel-tree branch called surovachka. What is the etymology of the word 'surva'? In present-day Bulgarian it means 'raw, fierce", but the traditional meaning was different. It was used to designate the freshly cut cornel-tree branch that still had the sense of life about it. The cornel-tree is so enduring that its buds appear even in the winter, and even a branch cut off the tree is likely to blossom. The living force of the cornel-tree is transferred upon the humans – this is the meaning of the magic word 'surva'.

In the first hours of the New Year the Christmas carol singers begin their tour of the houses. This is a tradition that goes back many centuries to the Bulgarian villages and small towns, where everyone knew everybody else. They carry special cornel-tree branches, called surovachki, decorated with dried fruit, pop corn, small buns, red woolen threads and coins. The carol singers tap the back of the owners of the house with the cornel-tree branch starting with the eldest among them. As they pat they say loud their chants. One of the most popular among them goes like this,

“Let there be a merry year
Let the fields breed golden ear,
Let the orchards grow red apples,
And the house be full of silk.
Let the household be alive and kicking
Till the next year, and forever!”

The hosts returned generously the favour by giving the carol singers small change, ritual buns, fruit, nuts, lard, etc. One of the members of the group of carol singers called the 'donkey' used to collect the gifts in a special poach. His was also the task to make jokes and jest with the people. In fact, the tongue-in-cheek mood dominated the celebrations. In the past no one went to bed before they had received the carol singers in their home because their blessing for good health and prosperity was considered paramount. The visit itself marked the culmination in the New Year's Eve celebrations.

The rituals and the celebrations of New Year's Eve began long before midnight. The holiday cheese pie was essential. A silver coin was placed in it for luck and prosperity and a piece of cornel-tree for good health. Special buns were baked in the shape of circles, horseshoes or the figure eight. Those were meant to give away to children and guests on New Year's Day. The person who took the coin out of his piece of the pie would enjoy the biggest luck throughout the year. In some villages there was a tradition that allowed the father of the family to 'buy off' the coin to keep it for luck throughout the year. He could also tie it to a red thread to his moneybag, or to the jug of wine, again with the hope of sound health and well being. After the New Year's dinner was over the crunches were thrown into the fire with a blessing read out loud, "Let there be crops, wine, and silk born out of these crunches". The cornel-tree buds were also thrown into the fire. The person whose cornel-tree bud broke off and popped in the fire was believed to remain healthy throughout the year.

There used to be other soothsaying rituals on New Year's Eve. The young people for instance would guard the first bite of the pie with the lucky charms and put it under their pillow so that their would-be spouse would visit them in their dream. Another popular holiday was called laduvane. Only single girls took part. On New Year’s Eve they would their rings in a basin filled with spring water. While they were carrying the water the girls were bound to keep silent, thus the water in the basin was called ‘silent water’. The basin was left overnight under a rosebush. On January 1, the girls took it to the village square. The whole population gathered and everyone sang and danced. One of the girls began to pull rings out of the water and make wishes or predictions about the owner of the ring. 

English version: Radostin Zhelev