DABENE VILLAGE - KUKER DAY PROGRAMME
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- There will be jangling the bells on the streets in the evenings of Wednesday and Friday of the week before Sirnitsa (the Bulgarian and Orthodox version of the Shrove Sunday)
- Sunday morning on Sirnitsa, thee children Kukeri will go round and visit houses
- In the early afternoon of Sirnitsa, from 14:00 until about 17:00, there will be festivity on the square with the participation of Kukeri, other masked with scenes, the women vocal groups, a common (a traditional Bulgarian chain dance)
- The dinner at each home, they would take forgiveness (“proshka”), and will do “hamkane” (a traditional play for children in the family, where they try to catch a piece of white khalva by mouth)
They will not be fully dressed with the Kuker costume, and will just belt the bells and put on the white shirts. The Kukeri will gather in two groups of three or four friends each, will visit someone, and then will go to some pub.
“We jangle the “hlopki”. The time is not a problem to anyone; if we decide we will jange in the streets a whole night. Someone would go out bearing a copper full of wine to treat us.” (Lalo Shopov)
“We jangle the “hlopki”. The time is not a problem to anyone; if we decide we will jange in the streets a whole night. Someone would go out bearing a copper full of wine to treat us.” (Lalo Shopov)
Sirnitsa before NoonThe feast happens on Sunday. The children Kukeri will begin in the morning. They will dress, will go round the streets, will visit the homes, and will be treated with something sweet.
Until about 10 years ago, some of the men would also do the same, however just to the homes of the most respected families in the Village of Dabene; for the householders it would be a honour to be visited so they would treat the Kukeri with wine and “lukanka” (a traditional Bulgarian flat sausage). “Now, the people seems to become more conservative minded or maybe colder... Well, the Kukeri may drop in at the houses of some band members' friends, but generally they do not visit the houses.” |
Sirnitsa on the Square Afternoon
The feast will start on the square after 14:00. There will not be any programme or a scenario, but everything will be done according to the tradition. The people will go out on the square, will join the horo (a traditional Bulgarian chain dance), will sing or will just watch.
They will play horo dressed with both traditional and modern clothes; it concerns both men and children, but mainly women. In the past, some men would also dress with traditional costumes including “poturi” (full-bottomed, tight legged breeches), and would lead the horo.
They will play horo dressed with both traditional and modern clothes; it concerns both men and children, but mainly women. In the past, some men would also dress with traditional costumes including “poturi” (full-bottomed, tight legged breeches), and would lead the horo.
The women of the amateur singing group will have in advance conspired about the time to gather, and will go out on the square and sing. Other women will also dress traditional costumes, and will join the group; that may be women originating from Dabene Village but married elsewhere, who will have come back for the feast. They will play “pravo horo” (a kind of horo, the traditional Bulgarian chain dance) with just a capella accompaniment. There will not be another music accompaniment at the feast. However, it happened in the past to have the accompaniment of the army music coming from the Town of Karlovo.
The other masked (who are not Kukeri with “hlopki” ie round-bellied bells) will alternate circling and playing the common village horo. The masks may be ones of a bride, a gypsy, a devil, etc.
Some masks and customs that have always been present for the last decades are ploughmen (two men in a yoke and another man behind them as ploughman with a goad), sowers and female harvesters. All listed above are agricultural practices that were easier for the people to present.
They have also present scenes from the Bulgarian Revival and fight against the Turkish ruling including the band of the Hristo Botev (a national Bulgarian hero and a poet who was born in the Town of Kalofer, Karlovo area), hanging of Vasil Levski (another Bulgarian national hero born in the Town of Karlovo), the Radetski steamship also linked with Hristo Botev's revolutionary activity.
There have also been pranks. For instance, they sprayed around with knapsack sprayer full of water or sprinkled people with hay, straw.
The people will organise those scenes presentations on their own in neighbourhoods, larger families or with friends outside the local Chitalishte (the community cultural centre). Who mostly mask are the older people, while the youngsters does not seem to be keen on disguising.
When the Kukeri with “hlopki” (round-bellied bells) will come they will “shatter” the horo ie the singing will stop, and the people will go away. The Kukeri will circulate a few times. Then they will stop for half an hour, will have some rest, and will go on again. They will circulate at the village centre for about two hours during which time they will pass four times for about half an hour each. While the Kukeri have rest their “hlopki” will be silent, and the people will still play and sing.
Traditional dishes for Sirnitsa (the Bulgarian and Orthodox version of the Shrove Sunday) are eggs like eyes (the eggs are broken over some boiling water, put upon some cottage cheese, poured with some melted butter and sprinkled with red pepper) and “banitsa” (a traditional Bulgarian pie). They would say: “Make sure there will be eggs for Kuker Day” and “I will visit you to eat your eggs”. They will also cook dishes that are typical for other holidays such as “postni sarmi” (a meet free version of the traditional Bulgarian dish “sarmi” made of made of leaves of sauerkraut filled of rice and sometimes mince), pepper.
They do the custom “hamkane” for the children (the children in the house try to catch by mouth a piece of white khalva hanged on a thread ). In Dabene Village, they still “ask for forgiveness” (“proshka”) from the elder family members) and kiss the hands in some homes even if they are not that many. Some people just go to visit their parents to honour them.
They do the custom “hamkane” for the children (the children in the house try to catch by mouth a piece of white khalva hanged on a thread ). In Dabene Village, they still “ask for forgiveness” (“proshka”) from the elder family members) and kiss the hands in some homes even if they are not that many. Some people just go to visit their parents to honour them.
Kuker Visits on Kuker Day
In the Village of Dabene, they have not invited guest Kuker bands on that day because of financial reasons, although they will go to perform in other settlements. "However, on that Day everyone tries to be in the village, to create some festivity for the village."
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