November 21, 2005

This calendar of Bulgarian folklore reveals that today, the climax of the Valchi Praznitzi, or wolf days, is the day of Koutzoulan, 'the most terrible lame wolf, who ate people... "

"... On this day you must not take a comb in your hand, men don’t put on new shirts, women don’t wash clothes, don’t sew, don’t knit. Even the bread is not cut with a knife but is broken with hands." 21 May, to pick another interesting example, is the main day for the remarkable fire-dancing ritual of Nestinarstvo. I can't resist adding this collection of Bulgarian sayings, some of which have lost something in translation.

posted by Plegmund 18 years ago
  • It says for November 21: "On this day you must not take a comb in your hand..." Or wot happens to you? I must know, for I have taken a comb in my hand. Am I doomed? "Even the bread is not cut with a knife but is broken with hands." Think I am in bad trouble.
  • Koutzoulan sounds like just about every day.....
  • "It is esier to fondle lassies than to cut timbers." The sayings seem less intimidating. "Why didn't the midwife, who cut your naval string, cut your head instead." Whoops, I spoke too soon. A rugged country, Bulgaria.
  • Navel string? I get lint, but it don't weave string. Shit, rugged country indeed. I wonder if their nipples crochet sweaters?
  • I wouldn't hazard a guess. Firmly fixed in my mind is the information that Bulgaria is the land that anciently gave us the word bugger. So there is just no telling what their crocheting habits are, or may lead to. However, re November 21 -- "women don't wash clothes, don't sew, don't knit." Crocheting seems a kind of knitting. Not today, Josephine.
  • Ah, I think it was the french that gave us the word "bugger," while mispronouncing and maligning the name of that far off land.
  • Don't miss the mp3s on this page - fantastic stuff. Not sure I got my head round much of the rest. They do do things differently, they Bulgars.
  • the most terrible lame wolf, who ate people... Dude, yuo said it! Man, that wolf is TOTALLY LAME. Dude.
  • Seem to recall it was mispronouncing the nationality, Bulgars, that led to the aforementioned enrichment of our language. Even more Balkan maligning went on in days of yesteryore. From Slavs we end up with the English word slaves. Perhaps our ancestors were phoboslavic? "We had a dog, it helped the wolf." So the Bulgarians know about this sort of disdain, I think. "An haughty person will not even reach down to take his own nose if it had fallen to the ground." And more ominously, "The blind hen, when it sees again, wants even to mount the cock." We have been warned.
  • I just read a polish legend regarding St. Nicholas. Apparently he's regarded, in addition to his other duties, as the patron of wolves, even going so far as to hold a great meeting with them wherein he delineates exactly what livestock and people they're allowed to eat for the year. The Polish proverb upon losing animals or loved ones to the wolves is this: "Whatever is in the wolf's teeth was given him by St.Nicholas." So, Santa Claus brings all kinds of presents!
  • Er.. change the "is'es" to "was'es". I doubt those stories have much currency any more.
  • A wolf-dragon symbol It couldn't be Grindel? Or maybe it's partly a man What strange myths and legends Merge people and heavens They popped up when people began
  • the most terrible lame wolf Yeah, I know.
  • Folk legends say that if you borrow salt on Christmas and don’t return it, you will have trouble with your eyes. [...] Children must not play with fire on Christmas for they will wet their bed the whole year. You must not count the stars on that night or your hands will be covered with warts. /makes mental note: get ex-boyfriend to count the stars on Christmas night. Heh heh heh.
  • Nice post, nice link posts. Good job you guys!
  • Oh. Ugh. *worries now what horrid fate is in store for him, since he had to be the fire-tender last December*