KARAVELOVO VILLAGE - KUKER DAY PROGRAMME
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- During the week before Sirnitsa (the Bulgarian and Orthodox version of the Shrove Sunday), the Kukeri will visit the houses “dressed” and with their bells on Monday, Wednesday and Friday after work until about 21:30
- On Sunday/Sirnitsa morning, the Kukeri will again go round in the village starting at 9:00
- On Sirnitsa from 14:00 until 17:00, there will be festivity on the square in front of the village mayoralty which will include music, Kuker plays and presentation of customs
- After the festivity, the Kukeri will gather to treat with their colleagues Kukeri from the guest Kuker bands
- The diner at each home will include the traditional forgiveness taking (“proshka”) and “hamkane” (a traditional play for children in the family when they try to catch by mouth a piece of white khalva)
- After the dinner, they will light fires, and will traditionally spin kindled armful of straw on sticks.
Before SirnitsaOn Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the Kukeri of Karavelovo Village will go round the village at night after work “dressed” and with their bells. Some people will meet them and invite them to the house. “It is good to have a Kuker entered your house because he chases the evil and helpl for fertility and health.” The Kukeri will not enter the houses but the yard; they will go round the yard in order to chase the evil ghosts with their bells jangle. They will not talk in principle. The householders will treat them with appetizers and wine, and for the children Kukeri there will be soft-drinks, sweets and popcorn. But it is not mandatory, and may not be treated.
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There are people, who will wait for the Kukeri during the week. So the Karavelovo Village's Kukeri will distribute the neighbourhoods to visit in order to reduce the circulation with the heavy bells and avoid missing any house where they will be waited for. “Some people will get angry if they we miss their houses.”
At 21:00-21:30, they will stop circling and bell jangling in order to let people sleep before the next workday.
At 21:00-21:30, they will stop circling and bell jangling in order to let people sleep before the next workday.
Sirnitsa before Noon
On Sunday morning, Sirnitsa (the Bulgarian and Orthodox version of the Shrove Sunday), the Karavelovo Village's Kukeri will again go round the village starting at 9:00 when the people will have put out the livestock to grass. Then, they will again have got itineraries of houses alike it was during the week.
Sirnitsa on the Square Afternoon
The folk group will present the customs of “hamkane” (children of the family try to catch by mouth a piece of white khalva hanged on a thread), kissing the hand of the elder family members by the younger ones for forgiveness taking, meeting the Kukeri.
The participants will be dressed in traditioinal costumes, as it was in the past.
Afterwards, the guest Kuker bands will perform thus contribute to more festivity, as well as to prolonged duration of the Kuker show ie it will last for about two or three hours.
The participants will be dressed in traditioinal costumes, as it was in the past.
Afterwards, the guest Kuker bands will perform thus contribute to more festivity, as well as to prolonged duration of the Kuker show ie it will last for about two or three hours.
With the Colleague Kukeri
When the people go back home, the Kukeri of Karavelovo Village will gather with their colleague Kukeri of other settlements to treat.
They also do "hamkane" (the children in the family try to catch by mouth a piece of white khalva hanged on a thread).
In the Neighbourhoods after Dinner
After dinner, they will light traditional fires in the neighbourhoods. They burn and spin kindled armful of straw on sticks (“korulyatsi”); each stick will be about a meter long. When the stick will burn away, the armful of straw will break off, and will fly away. And the further it flies, the more fertile and good will be the year.
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Kuker Visits on Kuker Day
They often invite the Kuker bands of Otets Paisievo Village and Voinyagovo Village that also present customs. It is always interesting for the local people to see what they do in the other settlements.
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