A Simple Christmas Eve Family Celebration In Bulgaria

Christmas here with Galia’s family in Yambol was a simple affair with no gimmicks attached. The plan was to have a family get together on Christmas Eve and just talk, eat, drink and dance, bit not necessarily in that order. Four generations of family were all together in one place by 9:00 Christmas Eve and the food and drink was being dipped into.

Christmas is very economical here ijh out household, I don’t think it would be much different if we had money either as the habit of not wasting money is instilled into Bulgarian souls here. As a couple of examples is the fact that we don’t exchange Christmas cards and most of the food is homemade during this season with the majority stocks that have been grown from the summer and autumn. It makes so much sense to be like this/. To me sending Christmas cards was always done in the main just for the sake of it and to not send one was made out to be criminal. This was the only reason many were sent not to be made to feel guilty.

Shopping at Christmas and crowds leading up tot Christmas just doesn’t happen here. To me this is such a great thing to experience and my thoughts are always on my past and the rush and bad tempers and the stress and the commercial rut that the UK is in. It is hard not to get that past and the mayhem of this out of my head even after quite a few Christmases here.

Decorations at this festive season are at a minimum and what we do put out are used year in year out. We just have a simple Christmas tree is a simple half a metre tall plastic affair, which never ages in the ten years it has been used here. It is just as effective each year without lights. No fancy ceiling and wall decorations, just two little Santa Clause figures hanging from a couple of cupboard knobs, that’s it.

Food at this time of year is not that much different form our daily meals. Dishes for the Christmas Eve family celebration consist of vegetarian dishes up until midnight when the meat dishes come out. We all came with out own dishes, which made up the seven different dishes of the night. Seven different dishes on this particular night is traditional although it can be extended to nine or eleven. Apart from the traditional baked bread, the sweet boiled wheat dish and mushroom (in place of mince) filled sarmi (stuffed vine leaves) all the other dishes are regular finds on our kitchen dining table. To me this home made food from homegrown products is a special celebration every day in any case. The difference is the company and occasion, which makes it even more special.

This is a time for all generations to get together as the eldest member of the family starts the celebration off with a speech. Baba at 85 was the eldest and did the honours. She was then handed the flat bread and broke off the first piece then passed to on to every person there. We all hoped to get the buried 20 stotinki coin that gave good luck for next year, guess who got it – Yes me. I felt quite guilty denying all these Bulgarian their luck.

The evening was now rolling with fun and laughter all round aided by lashings of rakia (all three varieties of homemade). Then the dancing started and the gifts made to the children. Not gifts that you expect. These were little gifts of little sweet snacks and some fruit (and apple and an orange) in a little plastic bag. The children of the family were more than content with their gifts, which were gracefully accepted from another older member of the family. The older members of the family are seen with great respect here and again this is so rewarding for me to watch each year.

Dancing, eating drinking and of course talking with the volume on a never crescendo throughout the night continued. Midnight came and the meat was served. This was simply sliced salami and the end of the traditional fasting from meat (just the day for us but puritans from the 5th December.)

We finally left at 4:00 in the morning with Baba being supported on both sides by Galia and myself, I think we both needed her support to be quite honest. Home was only 400 metres away as we arrived and all slept like a log after a heart warming occasion that could and did bring a tear to my eye.

This is how Christmas should be celebrated, with family, tradition upheld and simple food, drink and respect for everyone, something that I am still getting used to here after all the Christmases I never really looked forward to in the UK.

Working Before Holidays In Bulgaria

I was work this Saturday as it was taken in lieu of the non-public holiday on the 31st January. I thought it was going to be a bit of an easy day with an early finish, not such luck as I wearily walked out of the factory gates at 17:07 after an sharp crisp icy 8:00 start.

What made it worse was that the Lada’s brakes had frozen solid this working Saturday morning after around a –7 C night that followed the rain the previous evening. The water off the road driving home Friday evening must have been the cause of the ice between the brake pads. It was strange that I was the only one stationary this morning, I found out why shortly afterwards. Bulgarian drivers leave their handbrake off during sub-zero temperatures overnight parked up and carry a brick with them to place under the wheel to stop rolling. This won’t happen again with this bit of Bulgarian wisdom taken on board as I embarked into another Lada, this time a taxi) whose driver used this trick last night.

It was indeed a couple of weary people catching a life home only to find that we had guests waiting who didn’t’ know we worked today and it was preparing food and drink after seeing to the Lada with a brick hand. We parties on through the evening and I even got the privilege to see my football team Arsenal live on television Arsenal winning 3-0 against Hull City. The sound was muted and Bulgaria music was played over it. It was quite a funny two hours of football watching Arsenal dance around the opposition with Chalga and Bulgarian conversation in full flow.

Our guests were out of work, but they look upon this a break or ‘pochivka’, I wasn’t too sure whether they were trying to put a brave face on it or whether they really saw it like that. I think the former was the case as they left us at midnight. It was a deep sleep we both had still waking up at 6:30 naturally then going back to sleep again, just a great moment that!

Galia hates the cold and it’s cold. Just walking 100 metres to the shop and back with an artic wind in your face just doesn’t bother me at all, but Galia finds this extremely uncomfortable. My greatest hate about winter is the time it takes to get dressed and undressed, always in a rush, it is frustrating with the amount of clothing that has to be put on just to pop down the road of a loaf of bread.

We now have Sunday off, but an early bed awaits us in the evening with a 6:30 alarm call again Monday morning. Three days of hard graft then 4 days of Christmas to look forward to. I just hope we get paid before the holiday. We are due to have the whole of Galia’s family together her cousin’s apartment block Christmas Eve to see us all into Christmas Day. It will be mainly a vegetarian affair with banitsa and other Bulgarian goodies including lots of dark beer and rakia until midnight when the meat party begins for real and of course freshly slaughtered pig salami will be the first on the new look menu. Most people now only fast on the day rather than from the 4th December which it the strict tradition. We did the same thing three years ago and a memorable event it was then, before I started blogging though. (You can read about Christmas Eve in a Bulgarian Village on my other blog 365 Bulgarian Adventures)Picture from 365 Bulgarian Adventures (Christmas Eve In A Bulgarian Village)

I was too tired to use the camera last night, besides which I am still not too familiar with the set up and am quite disappointed with the quality of pictures to date. I hope to get quite a few shots over Christmas though. I case I don’t get time to post another blog before the 25th can I wish everyone a lovely family Christmas from Galia and myself.

Christmas Eve Celebrations in Bulgaria

Christmas Eve is the biggest celebration in the Bulgarian calendar and so it was this evening in Yambol town. Having been through a few Christmases here in Bulgaria now, both in town and country, I look forward to Christmas rather than holding my head in my hands from the stress. There is absolutely no rush, no pressure and certain no pretence as families gather for the Christmas Eve celebration around the country.

Traditions still hold fast here, even though pressures from an invading western influence are now firmly in the veins of the country and will increase and spread as each year passes, for now, we have evaded the consumer Christmas that is the norm for millions of people worldwide now.

The traditions are many and would take quite a detailed account to cover all customs that we when though, so I have just put some basics that when on in Yambol this evening, so simple, community based and spiritually uplifting for all. There is never any point where the meaning of Christmas leaves our minds throughout the celebrations as the symbols of Christmas are in the presentation and food that is before us all evening (and a big chunk of the morning).

Before we left we had to make sure we took out slippers, again this is normal here taking your own footwear as guests in other Bulgarian homes. We gave the small gifts to each other before we left, as in practical Bulgarian tradition is actually more practical rather than dragging them to another apartment.

The food in the main is all home grown and prepared by hand with non-meat factor being the tradition this evening. Fast from eating meat prior to midnight is expected, however this has been watered down slightly as before the fasting of meat would have been over a period of 40 days, this just doesn’t happen here now and for most it is just for the day or for a few days.

Just as we left, it started snowing with all the food in carrier bags it his was bad timing and by the time we got there we looked like a crowd of snowmen entering the bock and left a big puddle of water in the lift as we left arrived on the fifth floor and the warmth of our hosts.

All home produced food consisted of:

Cabbage and bean stew
Traditional Boiled Wheat
Boiled Potato and Leek salad
Cauliflower and carrot pickle
Raw Leek sliced
Gherkins
Walnuts
Peanuts
Bread
Wine
2 Litres grape Rakia

Later on, still before midnight though:

Tikvanik (pumpkin banitsa) and Apple Sponge Cake

---------------------------------------------

With all this home grown and made food/drink, it was only the bread and peanuts that were purchased!
---------------------------------------------

Before any food or drink consumes the eldest member of the family, Baba in this instance, had to say grace with as all stood up to attention. There were many Icons of Christ as a permanent fixture on the wall in the apartment and these were focussed on during this short, but important beginning of this evening. Once the formalities were over the evening unfolded.

Normal in Bulgaria is the TV on in the background, used for music background rather than anything else. Talking, laughing, eating, drinking, dancing went on and on and on until 4:00. In fact the food was so good and plentiful that we didn’t even bother to get the meat dishes that are normally served after 12:00. We all had a joyous Christmas Eve where it is just simple pleasures that remain the most important factor, that’s what makes it so special.

It was Christmas Day treading the Yambol streets back home a few hours before sunrise all arm in arm going at Baba’s pace. Family bonds are wonderfully strong here and this was felt throughout the evening with the biggest Bulgarian celebration of the year.

Christmas Eve in a Bulgarian Village

It is my first Christmas now living in the village of Skalitsa in Bulgaria and Shopping is something I used to hate in the UK - at Christmas it was even worse. This year I was on my own in Skalitsa and it was Christmas Eve, I had to force myself at this point to get the job done!

Arriving by foot to the Skaltisa village centre it was whisky and chocolates for presents for my village friends. On my way there I saw the old man who helped me get my cart fixed a while ago, I appreciated this very much at the time. He warmly greeted me and warned me to go and get some bread now as they will be sold out soon. He also asked why am I staying here in Skalitsa, I replied in my broken Bulgarian, 'I live here,' He didn’t seem to believe me. He was unshaved, scruffy and if you’d have seen him in England you would have considered him a tramp and walked past ignoring his beckoning to chat. In Skalitsa many older people have features like tramps but they would look out of place if they didn't!

Now as I said it was Christmas Eve and a panic to get stuff in for the big day tomorrow. Expect the worst in the village as people scramble and get trampled on in the rush for last minutes gifts and food. Well there was a rush in the village, two in the queue, now that is serious in Skaltisa, usually there’s no one. After a few minutes I bought a bottle of whisky, 5 balloons, six ping pong balls and some glitter streams, my Christmas shopping completed in precisely 15 minutes, 10 of these minutes were talking!

Let me explain the reasoning behind the shop:

1. Bottle of whisky for the Rakiaman (my alcoholic neighbour)

2. Balloons to take to Sancho’s house where I was due to be a guest tonight

3. Ping pong balls to put in Anka, my donkey’s drinking water to stop it freezing, hoping she won’t eat them

4. Glitter streams because they just happened to be there in the shop and it would be nice to put them around the whisky bottles

No food bought, they just don't buy food in the village other than beer for the adults and and sweets for the kids all else is home produced!

I entered another shop and would you believe it another queue this time there was one person being served!! The delays in the village because of panic buying is too hard to take, I had to wait a minute!!! Bought two boxes of chocolates, again for presents for Rosa and whoever may need it as a present…………… I just heard some kids singing outside hang on!!....................... Well these kids were okay, I liked their singing with the banging staff so there goes the box of chocolates!

The gypsy kids came round singing earlier and I gave them one leva each; if Sancho found out he’d tell me off!! Hang on another knock at the door…………… It was Sancho, telling me to give the gypsies nothing when they come round, ooooops! Daren’t say anything, too late now anyway.

Sancho was with a woman with red hair, quite young and attractive called Ivanova, probably find out who she is later this evening, but I’m tired, I have been cut off with water, again, I was going to have a shower or bath, a complete change of clothes and get rid of this stink on me, not now!!

What stink I hear you ask? Well, pig stink; I just returned from another pig slaughtering from the next village along, this time two pigs at Maria’s parents place. Her mother collected me and took me back She rang me up this morning and asked if I wanted to go I couldn’t really refuse as she has done so much for me over the last few months, anyway, I need to socialise, it’s what they do over here, more to the point, so do I.

Before got home from the village shops, I met my neighbour Miko the milkman coming towards me saying something. Now he said something earlier as I passed his house on the way to the shops, I thought he was referring to the camera I had lent to his son, but I said, it’s okay I have another one at home. Anyway, he asked me to follow him to a house across the road and I did, only for a woman to come out and hand me back my digital camera. He suggested, well I think he did, that some phone calls had been made and the camera came back from his son in Veliko Turnovo. As I surveyed the pictures, none were of the mountains and it was that jolly, happy girl taking pictures in the snow when I saw here the next day from my kitchen window.

Maria’s place was now on the cards but I wanted to be back so I could rest and get ready for the evening with Sancho and family. Again, these people were wonderful as I mucked in with the breaking down and butchering the pig. I really enjoyed every aspect along with the company, the food, (which was out of this world!) and drink. She has a lovely family and I envy the lifestyle they lead which is very much family based.

Now I could go on for ages about what goes on during the pig slaughtering day, but it is very much like Miko the Milkman’s day only I enjoyed this one even more than before because firstly, I knew roughly what to do with the pig and secondly, I knew some of the people here, and of course Maria, very well. Maria’s grandfather played the accordion and sang right next to where I was sitting, He was atmospheric and had total attention and focus from the family enraptured in a trance of his rendering of Bulgarian traditional song; this totally sent a shiver down my spine and brought about a tear, a tear for these things that never happen in England!. The heartwarming ambiance of the whole occasion just came together during these moments and the thoughts about what I had come to experience in Bulgaria all seemed worth all the chaos and pain I had gone through to get to this point in my life.

I had to leave before dark but wanted to stay. Maria’s mother gave me some pork steaks, pig skin and eggs and took me back. I was stuffed something stupid with the food and drink and had just finished a bowl of the traditional cabbage and pork. I hope Sancho doesn’t try and force feed me! All in all this was another absolutely amazing thing to go through. The warmth, generosity and friendship these people ooze can not be described but just experienced. This is a taste of the good life for real. I also got to see and speak to Anka’s previous owner to reassure her that Anka is a very well and happy donkey.

Back to this evening, it’s twenty past six and I am due at Sancho’s in 40 minutes, no water, stink like a skunk with blood stains all over my clothes, but, that’s Bulgaria!!! I’m off to another village 10 km away for Christmas Dinner tomorrow, walking there, I’ll need to do something about all this food I’ve consumed so this will do me good! Sancho called on me again at dead on 7:00, he was going to personally take me to his house but I was on the toilet and he had to wait a few minutes. Got there in the end. (Yes! Yes! I washed my hands!).

Ivanova was his daughter and the evening started with getting rid of evil spirits in the room which was warm cosy and a picture with the TV running all evening. I saw two pictures in the house and two Christmas cards on of each of those was what I gave them respectfully. This was a family occasion and I was very privileged to be there.

We talked and talked and talked and the food kept coming and coming. There was a lovely bowl of bean type soup and I just about managed to squeeze that in my stomach when near the end Rosa asked me something. I thought she asked whether I liked it. I of course said, ‘Yes lovely!’ She took my plate away and returned with another massively filled bowl full of bean soup again. She had asked if I wanted another bowl full! I explained that I was full and that I wasn’t used to having big meals as I live on my own and don’t bother. The bowl sat there full in front of me for a full two hours, their answer was to eat it slowly. This was in conjunction with other foods already laid out and being prompted at me and more arrived every half an hour or so. So much preparation went behind this that I was humbled by their generosity.

The original table layout with the specially cooked bread in the foreground with twigs on each section on which was placed a curled paper with your fortune for the next year written on it. The cake is turned round by hand and whoever the piece stops at takes the piece nearest them and read their fortune and eats the bread. Mine was, good sight, good smell, (nose that is) and good taste. But we didn’t do this before the evil spirits had been expelled.

Now the Bulgarians are meant to fast prior to Christmas day but that now is diluted down to not eating meat. So, apart from white fish that was also on the table, all the food had no meat content. The evening was a fantastic calm family evening with warmth and friendship. Sancho’s daughter turned up at about 10:00 and stayed just until before midnight. I was asked if I wanted coffee and I said yes, then, asked if I wanted another cup and I took this as a message that it was time to go. But no, they expected me to stay up to and beyond midnight as that is what they do then a fresh source of special food and drink comes out. I said I had to ring my son and would be about 15 minutes, this was at about 10:30 and Sancho accompanied me to my house and back again. When I tried ringing all my sons they were all engaged or the number not recognised, will have to try on Boxing Day I fear!

On my return it was very much the same thing and an absolutely wonderful evening.

Again the secret is the art of talking about anything and everything and having some respect to who you are talking to that was the mode this evening. Sancho said he would teach me to fish and take me to the hill we see in the distance to take a picture from the top, but I asked him about the wolves and he went to the cupboard and brought down a hand gun full of live ammunition, his words ‘No problem’. He let me handle it and it was quite a shock, or maybe not that this was where I lived and this is what goes on. Everyone took it as normal including the whole evening, but still special, but even more special for me with such good neighbours and now friends for life.

At midnight everyone was given an alcoholic drink and toasted a Merry Christmas, then the special chocolates and salami, (now we can eat meat after the fasting period) came out and we ate AGAIN! Finally got home in the early hours of the morning after being given a present and Sancho armed with a torch guiding the way back. Got in, or rolled in with the food I’d eaten today and still no water! Seems unlikely to be here tomorrow either I would think, BUGGER! No water on Christmas Day! Welcome to Bulgaria yet again! Not bothered really though, just very happy and thankful to be living here in Skalitsa.

(This is a typical content and extract from 365 daily diaries made in my first year in Bulgaria; this particular diary extract was from 24.12.05)

www.bulgarianrealestateonline.com

www.ourbulgarianworld.com

www.self-catering-breaks.com/Properties/Prop42149.htm