rainmaking custom

Eremija 2

1 (GK) a ednò vrème kato nèmaše dɤ̀š dɤ̀lgo vrème ìmaše li
In the old days. when there was no rain for a long time. was there

2 (GK) n'àkəf ubičàj də sə prài zə zə dɤ̀š səs pòpo da
some sort of custom people did for rain where the priest [did] –?

3 (a) a abè pràveše
Oh yes, they –

4 (GK) pòmniš li
Do you remember?

5 (a) pràveše se praveše se
They did. They did.

6 (GK) à kəkvò bèše
And what was it?

7 (a) pràveše se
They did.

8 (GK) kàk stàvaše
How did it go?

9 (a) à decàta što smè takvìa pu tri če̝tirnàese godìni
Those of us children who were thirteen or fourteen years old,

10 (a) nèkoe siràče napràvime gu vàjdudùlka
[we find] some orphan [girl] and make her the rain maiden.

12 (a) nakìtime go sos cvetjà sos takòva venèc na glavàta i zème kotlènce
We decorate her with flowers, a wreath on her head, she takes a small pot

13 (a) u na rakàta bèlo i vodìčka i nìe slet nìx pèeme
in her hand, white, with water, and we [go] after them and sing,

14 (a) vàjdudùle dàj bòže dòš onà rɤ̀si
“Oh Dodola, God grant rain!” and she sprinkles [the water].

15 (a) i kàraa edìn den le dvà pa zavàli doš sà karàa pòpo
They do this a day or two, and it starts to rain. Now they got the priest

16 (a) da prài nèkakof molèben ama e trebàlo nàj màlko trì čètiri žèni
to do some sort of prayer, but it needed at least three or four women

17 (a) da se sobèrat pa nèče nìkoḁ
to get together [to do it], but none of them want to.

Glavanovci 3

51 (b) nìe ne smè igràli peperùda vìe mòže da ste igràli
We never did the “peperuda” (rainmaking ritual) dance, maybe you did.

52 (a) a peperùdata se igràe
The “peperuda” is danced ...

53 (VZh) à za dɤ̀š
Ah, for rain.

54 (a) da vàli dɤ̀š
... da vàli dɤ̀š

56 (a) da zàjde dɤ̀š
So it will start raining.

57 (VZh) kàk kàk stàva tàa ràbota kakvò se
And how does this happen, what do –

58 (a) dɤ oblečù se devojčetìja u tɤ̀nki ròklički sɤz
Girls get dressed up in thin little dresses,

59 (a) napràvat si venčèta od zelenìš i sɤs tòčat vodà plìskat se
they make wreaths out of greenery and pour water, sprinkle it

60 (b) če igràjat mòkrat se
They get wet as they dance.

61 (a) mòkrat se ta da predizvìkat ə dɤ̀ž da zàjde
They get wet so as to cause it to start raining,

Golica 3

45 (a) kažɛ̀te im da zəvəl'ɛ̀t
Tell them to make it start raining!

47 (VZh) da zaval'ə̀t li
To make it start raining?

49 (a) da zəvəlìt'i
You [should] make it start raining.

51 (a) enò vr'ɛ̀me prɑ̀vehme mol'èbie krɛ̀st'at sa
In the old days we used to do special prayers, people cross themselves …

53 (a) bòže mìla zəvəlì bòže mìla zəvəlì
... [and say] “Dear God, make it rain; dear God, make it rain.”

76 (a) na n'ègo tr'àbva t'ɑ̀h na t'ɑ̀h tr'àbva də sə mòl'at
It’s to it (the municipal hall) – them – to them that they have to pray

77 (a) da zəvəl'ɛ̀d dɛ̀ž da ukwɑ̀si zem'ɛ̀ta
to make the rain start to fall so it will moisten the earth.

78 (VZh) vìe na vrèmeto kato n'àmaše dɛ̀š kakvò pràvexte
In the old days when there was no rain, what did you do

79 (VZh) tə də zəvəlì
to make it rain?

80 (a) kət zəvalì dɛ̀š li
When the rain starts to fall?

81 (VZh) nè kato n'àmaše dɤ̀žt i kato kato ìskate də valì
No, when there wasn’t any rain and when, when they want it to rain.

137 (c) i zaval’à vèš tugàva
… and it started to rain even then,

139 (c) kɛ̀p'ət se iz udɛ̀tə
[people] were splashing in the water…

141 (c) iz virištɑ̀ta
… in the whirlpools.

165 (a) ɑ̀s v'èke na gròbištətə amà n'èka nə zəvəlì za wɑ̀s
I’m already for the graveyard. But let’s [help make] it rain for you.

166 (a) də nakòl'at idìn kurbɑ̀n' če də sə pumòl'at či n'èka zəwəlì
Let them make a sacrifice, and they’ll pray that it will start raining

167 (a) da ukwɑ̀si mamùl':t'ȅ vèči̥ zə kəkvò sti s'ɛ̀li kɛ̀k
and moisten the corn. [Otherwise] what’s [the point of] your having sown it?

176 (a) jà da u kò dùmam bòže bòže pu mòl'a sə
And if some – I keep on saying “God, God, please!

177 (a) ni slùšaj hòrata bòže zavalì bòže zavalì
Don’t listen to people! Oh God, make it rain! Oh God, make it rain!”

Oborište 2

82 (MM) takà a ako ìma mnògo gol’àma sùša ìmaše li
O.K. Now if there’s a very great drought, was there

83 (MM) n’àkakɤf obicàj də za dɤ̀š
some sort of custom to – for [making it] rain?

84 (a) ami ìmaše obicàj če fàne d’àdo pòp pràvi molèbie
There was a custom. “Grandpa” priest says [special] prayers

85 (a) ìde segà f polèto
he goes out into the open field

87 (a) nìvata i sə xòrata koìto vèče mògat da ìdat
– the [cultivated] fields with people, those who can go,

88 (a) otìvat tàm četè d’àdo pòp
[they] go out there; Grandpa priest says the prayers –

92 (a) i ìdat tàm četè d’àdo pòp pràvi molèbie vɤ̀rne sa
And they go there, Grandpa priest does the prayers, they come back –

93 (a) mòže i òšte v momènta da zavalì dòkato e
It might even start to rain just then while he’s …

95 (a) tàm na nìveto i mòlim sa za bòk
… still there in the fields. And we pray to God,

96 (a) pràvea vàjdudùlki ima f sèl
The “vaydudulki” [performers in rain-making rituals] would –

98 (a) vàjdudùlki segà prìmerno tàa mi e sestrà
“Vaydudulki”, well – For instance one was my sister,

99 (a) ama i nàj màlkatḁ istɤrsàka mu kàzvame
but the youngest one. We call it “the baby of the family”.

100 (d) nàj napòsle kojà se e rodìla
The one that was born the latest.

102 (a) i ìmaše edìn ə bùren ta mu vìkaa tòstata tìkva
And there was this plant, they called it “fat pumpkin” –

103 (a) tò kato tìkva rastè obàče ne vrɤ̀zva ami takà si rastè
it grows like a pumpkin plant but it doesn’t give fruit, it just grows like that –

104 (a) i go naskùbem nègo i a natrùpame sɤs tòo bùren
and we pick it and pile this plant on her,

105 (a) i a vòdim is selòto i pèem
and lead her throughout the village and sing …

106 (d) let’àla e peperùda
“The butterfly has taken flight”.

108 (a) is selòto po kɤ̀štite vàjdudùle
… through the village, from house to house, [singing] “vaydudule” (rain-making songs).

110 (d) let’àla e peperùda dàj bòže dɤ̀š
“The butterfly has taken flight / Give us, oh God, rain”

111 (a) vàjdudùle
The “vaydudule” [song about the vaydudulka].

115 (a) [pee] poletèla e peperùga dàj bòže dɤ̀š dàj bòže dɤ̀š
[sings] “The butterfly has just flown off / Give us oh God rain / Give us oh God rain”

116 (a) [pee] izùlica vuzùlica vàjdudulè dàj bòže dɤ̀š dàj bòže dɤ̀š
[sings] “Izulitsa vuzulitsa, vaydudule / Give us oh God rain / Give us oh God rain”

117 (a) sèki iznòsi kotèla sɤz vòda i ja zalìva
and each one takes out a kettle of water and pours it out

119 (d) polìvame dudùlkata
We pour water on the "vaydudulka" (the center of the rain ritual, the one decorated with greenery)

136 (d) pravìle sme go f čitàlišteto nìe tòo običàj predì segà nèma
Earlier on we did that custom in the reading room, [but] now we don’t.

140 (MM) znàči tòo običàj go ìmaše
So then this custom was found [here].

141 (a) dà
Yes.

142 (MM) štòto go n’àma f c’àla bɤlgàrija
Because it’s not [found] everywhere in Bulgaria

143 (MM) n’àkɤde go ìma n’àkɤde go n’àma
Some places have it, some don’t.

144 (a) nàm go ìma
We have it.

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Comments and questions may be addressed to bdlt@berkeley.edu.

Recommended Model for Citations

Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition [2016] (http://www.bulgariandialectology.org, visited on 1 March 2016)
Babjak 1: 13-15. In: Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition [2016] (http://www.bulgariandialectology.org, visited on 1 March 2016)

by Dr. Radut