dowry

Garvan 1

183 (a) i v'èč'i bùl'kətə v'èč'i š si pudrèždə drèit'e v'èč'i

and the bride will have been arranging her handiwork

184 (a) nəkəd'è i də vìdi

somewhere for [people] to see.

185 (GK) čeìzə gu nòs'ət

They bring out the dowry.

186 (a) čeìzə əm kɤ̀k

The dowry, of course!

187 (GK) nèjnite

Her things.

188 (a) nèjn'it'ȅ əm kɤ̀k às kəkò č'eìs səm dunèsələ ò kəkò čeìs

Her things. Oh what a dowry I brought with me! Oh, what a dowry,

189 (a) kəkò n'èštu wòs'əm jurgàn'ə səm ìmələ i vəzglàvnici i č'erš'èβi

what a thing! I had eight quilts, and pillows, and sheets –

190 (a) kòlku č'erš'eβi ìməm às dàže ìməm òšte id'ìn

how many sheets I had! I even still have one –

191 (a) b'àl vɤ̀l'nen è tɤ̀j b'àlu səz b'àl pəmùk i ə təkòs

it’s of white wool, white [like] this one. And white cotton too, and such.

192 (a) i kəkò šə stàni às ni znàm nìkuj ni gì štè

And what will happen [to it all] I don’t know. Nobody wants them [any more].

193 (GK) mə sedɤ̀t li

They’re [still] here?

194 (a) sid'ì sid'ì sìn sìn təkɤ̀f pàk təkàn

Yes, still here. And [I have] a blue one, too, woven.

195 (a) mnògu às ìməm mnògu drèi səm ìmələ mnògu

[There’s] a lot – I have a lot of handwork. I had a lot,

196 (a) às dàβəm nə nə unùj ə d'ètu d'ètu igràjət sigà

I give things [now] to those – the ones that dance now,

197 (a) t'ès ə bùl'kit'ȅ nə ə stər'èškiu dòm ə stər'èškiu dòm nəlì

these – the “brides” at the old-age home. The old-age home, you know?

Gigen 2

16 (d) f nedɛ̀l’a svàdbətə f pondɛ̀lnik pràvat prik’àš na bùlkata

on Sunday the wedding, and on Monday they prepare the bride’s dowry.

Graševo

74 (MM) jà da mi kàžeš kakɤ̀f čeìs pràveše ednò momìče

So tell me what sort of dowry a girl used to make,

75 (MM) i ot kakvò go pràveše i kàk kòj mu pomàgaše

what she made it out of, and who helped her and how.

76 (a) emi mi ut kəkvò gu pràveše tugàs si ìməše sìčku

Well, what did she make it from? You had everything then

77 (a) də si kùpiš i vɤ̀lnitè mu i pəmùcitè mu i sìčkutu

to buy: woolen things, and cotton things, and everything.

Iskrica 1

29 (a) i jà səm sə prigòtv’ələ tàm drèite štòtu i stàvəm bùlkə

And I had prepared my clothing, because I’m going to be a bride.

45 (a) òd’ət zìmət nə bùlkətə drèiti tugàə n’àməše kəm’òni təkìvə ràbuti

They go and get the bride’s clothing. Back then there weren’t trucks and such,

46 (a) s karùci̥ti̥ ìdət z’èmət drèiti čeìzə nəfɤ̀rgəd gu tùkə

carriages – they come and take [her] clothing, they spread it out here

47 (a) gl’èdəd bùlkətə kòlku čeìs ìmə

and [everyone] looks to see how much dowry the bride has.

Srebŭrna 1

105 (a) u sɤ̀buta sə pə b’ùwa na mumàta zàsefki̥t’ȅ kət lèziš na mumàta

on Saturday there’s the betrothal at the bride’s, when you go into the bride’s house

106 (a) mumàta kakòt ìma tàm dàr:tu kəkòtu e šìla kòtu e plèli

[to see] the gifts the bride has [made], what she has sewn, what she has knitted,

107 (a) tàm čəršèvi kuvertùri šìti pl’èteni kwòt ìmə slòženu enɤ̀ vɤ̀rva

Sheets, bedding, [all sorts of handwork] sewn and knitted, [all] displayed on a line

108 (a) i àku̥ s aku̥ sə nəlòži i dvè vɤ̀rvi šə slòžəd

and if – if they need to, they put up two lines [to display it].

109 (a) zəvìsi kəkvòtu ìmə dàritu tàm kəkvòtu si e šèla slòženu tɤj

It depends what sorts of gifts there are there. Whatever she has sewn [is] displayed there,

110 (a) i prem’àtwəš prem’àtət prem’àtvəd gu i katu dòdət zàs’əfkitȅ

you throw it [over the cord], they throw it [there], and when the betrothal [time] comes

111 (a) utòr:nu e tàm u nèja stàja sìčki̥t’ȅ xòra utàd’ət tàm

her room is opened up, and everybody goes there.

112 (a) ìmə svir’àči igràjə̟t pèjə̟t wlìzət u.kɤ̀šti də gl’èdət

There’s live music, dancing, singing, They go into the house to see

113 (a) kəkò ìmə jurgàn:t’ȅ ìmə ràkli idnò vr’ème ni bèše kat segà

what [there is]. There are quilts, there are chests – Back then it wasn’t like now

Srebŭrna 2

46 (c) i jә̟ pàrim i pràimi čeìs às kò ti kàəm kətù

We scald it, and make it up into dowry [items]. What can I tell you?

48 (c) nəpràim zàsefki tr’àə də ìmə jurgàn’ tàm pu dèsi̥t jurgàn’ə tɤ̀j jà

When you make a betrothal you have to have quilts, about ten quilts layered in a pile,

50 (c) i pumiždù pu inɤ̀ vlɤ̀zgəncə slàgəmi tɤ̀j i tì kət ìdiš

and then between each [quilt and the next] one we put a pillow, so when you go [to the new place]

51 (c) tò nìštu àtli ni sɤ̀ iskɤ̀swə amə gul’àmə gul’àmə əməlògijә̟ e bilò

there’s no way these bed coverings will get worn out. But it was a big, big job.

83 (c) də ti kàžə dvənàjs kilà vɤ̀lnə səm gùdilə

Let me tell you, I put twelve kilos of wool [into the dowry]

84 (c) nə inɤ̀tə unùkə i nə drùgətə dvənàjs kilà

of one granddaughter, and twelve kilos for the other.

86 (c) prɤ̀j sm’ètkə kilìm də im pràә̟ zə

Do the math – I [had] to make them kilims [to cover all]

88 (c) zə pòduwtȅ za blòkuwtȅ

the floors in [apartments] in the apartment complexes.

Stančov Han 1

47 (a) čeìzi e tùkә gu tәčèhmi mnògu čeìzi nə nə dicàtə

We used to weave many dowries here for the children,

103 (a) čiìs ə nә mumìčitu si nәpràiš trɤ̀gniš š ìdiš nә svàdbәtә

And you make a dowry for a girl. When you set off, when you go to a wedding,

104 (a) či nәtrùpәn ònzi čiìs nә nə tùj ud’əlà kilìmi sìčku tàm

that dowry will be piled up there, blankets, flat-weave rugs – [it’s] all there.

105 (a) ši si vәr’ɤ̀t gl’èdәt gl’èdәt nә bùlkәtә čiìzә [laughter]

People will walk around and look and look at the bride [and her] dowry. [laughter]

Sveta Petka 2

69 (b) mumàtә d’èt sә už’èni

When a girl gets married …

70 (c) ud’ɛ̀la …

Blankets …

71 (b) zәnisè si zәvivàlә

… she brings bedcovers [with her].

72 (c) udnisè si

… she takes [them] with her [from her parents’ home].

73 (a) tɛ̀ nòseә pu stò

They would bring a hundred each!

74 (c) dɤ̀lgu vr’ɛ̀me pu stò pәrč’ètә udnisɛ̀a ednò vrɛ̀me

[This went on] a long time! They’d bring a hundred covers each in the old days.

75 (b) è nә vnùkә stò i usemd’esè udnèse

[Someone] took her grandchild a hundred and eighty!

76 (MM) e če kòlko vrème gi e pràvila t’à

And how much time did it take her to make them all?

77 (b) tò i e rùb’nu tò i e rùb’enu

That was her dowry, that was her dowry.

78 (c) ednò pu ednò màjkә i turɛ̀lә

One piece at a time, her mother put them aside …

79 (b) kuè mòže màjka i turɛ̀lә i

Her mother put aside whatever she could for her..

80 (c) dudè sә e už’ènilә

… until she got married.

81 (b) dètu si sə̀ jә ž’ènili

Until they married her off.

102 (MM) a dobrè a n’àkoja momà kato ne mòže da si napràvi

O.K., and if some girl isn’t able to make herself …

103 (a) sìčki si grәdɛ̀ә mumìte

All the girls made [their own]

104 (MM) čeìs

… a dowry?

105 (c) sìčkite gradɛ̀a

They all made it.

106 (a) sɛ̀kuà si grәdì

Everyone made her [own].

109 (c) sìč’ki si grәdɛ̀hә

All of them made their own.

110 (g) kujè pòveč’e pò màlku

Some made more, [some made] less.

111 (MM) sè tr’àbva da ìma

Everyone had to have it.

Trŭnčovica 1

18 (a) utɨ̀vət səs mnògu karùcɨ əku e pò bugàckə dəšter’à

they set off with many carriages – if the daughter (= bride) is rich,

19 (a) səs pè̟t səs šè̟s səs sè̟dem karùcɨ̥ utɨ̀vət če ìmə mnògu drèxi

they go with five, six, or seven carriages, because she has a lot of “drexi” (clothes).

20 (a) mnògu drè̟hɨ tr’àbvə də kàžə mnògu drè̟ɨ ìmə

[Ah,] I should have said “drei” (clothes). She’s got a lot of “drei”.

Vŭrbina 4

127 (d) pàk s kətɰ̀ri se vərv’èše sìčkoto rùbətə sə kàrə

Everything went on hinnies. The dowry was carried

128 (d) nə kətɰ̀rete xòrətə jɛ̀hət nə mùl’etə nə məgàretə kòj kvòtu mòže

on hinnies, people rode on mules, or on donkeys, whatever anyone had –

131 (d) kugàtu sə zɨ̀mə bùlkətə ìmə ednò pusrèštəne

When they go to get the bride there’s a [custom of] “meeting”,

132 (d) kugàtu sə zìmə rùbətə i s’èk’ fàti̥ pu ednò pərč’è

when they take out the dowry, and everyone takes a piece of it

133 (d) ìš’te pu nɛ̀kuj l’ɛ̀v də mu dəd’èš kòj p’èt l’èvə

and asks you to give him a lev or two [in return]. Some [get] five levs,

134 (d) kòj d’èset l’èvə kòj dvà l’èvə nə decà nə stàri

some ten levs, some two levs. [They give levs also] to children and old people –

135 (d) kòjtu isfɤ̀rne rùbətə udvʌ̀tre unuvà e kupòvən’ètu

those who toss out the dowry from inside. That’s called “the purchasing”.

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dowry