The mystical world of the “Starchevata” ritual carries the spirit of old times and ancient customs. Tradition dictates that in every home there should be “Kapama” – a dish invented, as it were, for the “Chaushi” to regain their strength. Learn more about the holiday and the traditional recipe.
On the evening before the holiday Surva (January 1), called in Razlog “Nayadka”, in each house families kneaded a large wheat bread called Bogovitsa. Besides, there was always pacha on the table – “pihtya” made from the pig’s head, boiled beans, wheat, oshav, fruit, wine and rakia. For this evening a bread and a banitsa with “lucks” are prepared, in each of which a silver coin is placed, and in the bread in several places dogwood twigs with buds, each named – for the plowman, for the shepherd and the sheep, for the house. The table is smoked with incense and a prayer is recited by the oldest member of the family, as is done on Christmas Eve. Then everyone drinks little from the glass of wine placed on the bread and dinner begins. The bread and the banitsa are distributed among all, and one piece is set aside for the Holy Mother of God. Finding the coin means luck, health and prosperity throughout the year.
After dinner, divination is made – they throw dogwood buds into the fire and see if they will “jump” and crack. If the pimples “jump”, it is believed that the cattle, especially calves and lambs, will jump – they will be healthy. The higher they bounce, the better. After the dinner, another ritual is performed – a little wine is poured into the occipital cavity of the male children with the words: “Boguledo-ledo, za stopansko zdrave!”
Very early in the morning on Surva, boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 13 gather in neighborhoods at a designated place with prepared “survatchki” made from sticks and bags. The eldest girl, who is the leader of the group, shouts to them several times, saying specific words.
After the service in the church, the children go around the houses of their neighborhood. The hosts take some rye or wheat to the sieve and sprinkle it with their hands three times in the yard, and the children shout loudly and unanimously specific words. The mistress of the house gives them a cake, an apple, walnuts, simidi, etc., which they put in their bags and go to the next house. If a boy over the age of 15 joins the group, he is mocked by a thorn (a stick with a sharp iron at one end, with which oxen or buffaloes are driven). This means that he no longer should go to Surva, but it is time to take the oxen to the yoke and help with the housework. In the same case, a girl is given a reel or a hurka – it is also important that it is time for her to study women’s work.
After touring all the houses in the neighborhood, the children say goodbye with a wish: “And next year in health!” And go to the streets to “survakat” passers-by who have to give them money. In the afternoon, the children visit close and distant relatives and again “survakat”, for which they receive gifts and money.
Surva falls into the period of the so-called Pagan days (Pagan in Dobarsko), also called Dirty, Pagan, Unbaptized, Karakonjo or Vampire days, Dirty evenings, which cover the period between Christmas and Epiphany (Jordan’s Day, January 6), when the water sanctifies. In Razlog it is believed that then the “karakonjureto” and other otherworldly beings go. This is a time of transition between the old and the new year, which is considered dangerous, so even on these days a number of prohibitions must be observed.
Surva in Razlog hosts traditional masquerade games, which are generally called “kukeri” everywhere, but have different names in different regions of Bulgaria. In Razlog, the locals call them “starci” or “chaushi”, hence the name of the masquerade “Starchevata”. Their costumes are made of goatskin, and their conical hat, which can reach two meters, ends with a ponytail. The most important element of the costumes are the bells (vats), which can weigh up to 40-50 kg. Usually each “chaush” carries four bells.
It is widely believed that the masked chase evil forces and winter – with their scary masks and appearance, they embody chaos and evil and at the same time repel them, helping the world to return to normal and stimulate the fertility of plants, animals and humans. After participating in the Kukeri’s games, the boys become men fit to marry and have families – the ritual is a form of initiation that they go through. That is why the Chaushi are young men, unmarried, moving in groups – each of the 7 districts of Razlog has its own group of masked, maidens and bachelors, bear bears and musicians who play zurni and drums.
The leader and organizer of the group is the “elder”, he is usually married, although he is also a young man. He is dressed in a festive men’s winter costume, he does not have a face mask, but he must wear a gag in his hand, it plays the role of a kind of wand. pointed hat and sword in hand. His task is to gather people and lead the dance. In the past, disguise included female roles played by men – for example, a minor character from “The Elder” is the “bride” – a young unmarried man disguised as a woman who gave birth and is about to give birth. to give birth again. He was dressed in traditional women’s clothing, and on his back he wore a strainer (rectangular strong woolen fabric with ties for carrying loads and small children on the back), in which there was a piece of wood – pine, oak, beech. In the past, a wedding took place, which was symbolic, but even today the characters always include newlyweds and a priest to marry them.
In the past, gangs of “old men” and “chaushi” roamed homes to “clean up” the space and drive away evil forces and otherworldly beings, even more – in ancient times, masked people went not only to Surva, but every night in the “Pogani” days. They toured the city and its lands. Today, the Starchevata custom has been turned into a festival that already has international status.
In the memories of the local people, the Dulgata Mahala is the basis for the popularization of this Razlog tradition. It is said that Bai Blago Tatarski for the first time shows at the folklore festival “Pirin sings” the terrible “chaushe” from Razlog and thus arouses the interest of folklorists and ethnographers to this old tradition.
Since 2008 the festival is held in Razlog as the International Kukeri’s Festival “Starchevata”. The organizer is the municipality of Razlog with the assistance of the Federation of European Carnival Cities, of which the city is a member. Participants are groups not only from different places in Bulgaria, but also from Italy, France, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia and others. On January 1, the carnival procession to the city center starts early in the morning, where a competition is held to choose the main “chaush”. The festivities continue until the evening. After the festivities, the musicians who played in the city’s neighborhoods go to the home of the first chaush, where the celebration ends.
The international festival “Starchevata” is held in mid-January and has a competitive nature. Each group is evaluated by a jury on several criteria: presentation of moments from the masquerade tradition, maintenance and transmission of local cultural specifics, highlighting the traditional for the region in the mask and clothing, artistic performance.
The day after Surva in Razlog is called “Polezinden” because of the first person who will “get” home – who was the first to enter the house. He collects as many twigs as possible from the yard and brings them home so that there is more prosperity and a lot of money to be earned next year. This practice in many places in Bulgaria is associated with St. Ignatius.