rituals with plants

Babjak 3

7 (b) mumìte zbìra: cvet'à zdràvec eglìče è

the girls gather flowers – geraniums and primroses, [things that grow

8 (b) pu pu mesnostà udvɤnkə pu pulètu i gu pràva: nə č'itki̥

locally outdoors in the fields – and then they make bouquets of them

9 (b) pràvejà gu f č'ùp sìčkite̥ mòmi puudɛ̀lno f

they used to make these [and put them] into a large pot. All the girls in each

10 (b) məəlà nə sɛ̀kujə məəlà puudɛ̀lnu č'ùp si pràva:

neighborhood do this, each neighborhood makes its own flower pot.

11 (b) i s kətu nətòpa: tuvà cvɛ̀te f č’ùpu i večertà gu upɛ̀va:

And when they put the flowers in the pot, in the evening they sing [and]

12 (b) upɛ̀va: upɛ̀va: prez noštà gu iznàs’a: udvɤ̀nkə

sing [and] sing over [each pot] and then at night they carry them outdoors

13 (b) də gu pečè lunàtə̥ nìə pə ergènite prez təvà vrɛ̀me

to bathe them in the moonlight. We bachelors, meanwhile,

14 (b) prez nuštà òdim dèbimè gu dɛ̀ sə gu

go out during the night to spy it out, [to find out] where they have –

15 (b) dɛ̀ sə gu ustìli č’ùpu i òdim i gu ukrədèm

where they have left the flower pot, and we go and steal it.

16 (b) ukrədème gu ut tìjə səjà i kətu ukrədèm na tàa məəlà č'ùpə

We steal it from them; when we steal the flower pot from that neighborhood,

17 (b) u drùgətə məəlà mumìte se rədùva: če ì sə ukrəlì

the girls in the other (= our) neighborhood cheer [us] that their [pot] got stolen.

18 (b) ergènetò sə ukrəlì ot onàa məəlà nə mumìte

The bachelors have robbed the girls in the other neighborhood of their

19 (b) č’ùpu i sega nèmə nə šò də pɛ̀jɛ i t'è

flower pot, and now there's nothing left to sing over. So [then] they,

20 (b) pud nɛ̀kəkəf nàčin nìe se prinùdime

[that is] we (the bachelors), find some way to give in,

21 (b) dədème sì gu pà tìjə pɛ̀ejɛ ìgra:

and we give it (= the flowerpot) back [to them], and then they sing and dance,

Eremija 2

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

Oborište 2

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 …

119 (d) polìvame dudùlkata

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

Pavelsko 3

18 (a) zə zdràv’e i jednò vr’ème əgà s’àvəhme rɤ̀š’ č’enìcə

… for health. In the old days, when we were planting grain, wheat

19 (a) tə nò̝s’im nə n’ìvit’e tə pubìjeme

we carried them to the fields and stick them [in the ground] …

20 (b) vʌ̀rbite

the willow branches

21 (a) tə də sə po̝ pò gul’àmi də stànət pò jʌ̀dri

… so that [the grain] would grow bigger and stronger

22 (a) pòveč’e ž’ìtu də vɤ̀rdž’ət

and bear more fruit.

Petrov Dol 3

7 (a) kətu udr’èž’im tɤ̀j pɯ̀rvətu strɤ̀kč’ɤnc’i ž’ètvəta ut zə ž’ìtutu

we cut off the first small stalk of harvest – that is, of the wheat,

8 (a) ut ə i ut utrɤ̀gvɤm’i uddòlu kòren’ә̟ istɤ̀rgvəm gu

and we pull it out from below – pull it out [by] the root

9 (a) i slàgəme gu tùkə nə gɤrbɯ̀ si i ìkəm’e krɤ̀š’č’ec

and put it here on our backs. We call [it] a cruciform (little cross).

10 (a) krɤ̀z də bul’ì nàs də n’ bul’ì

“May the cross hurt, so that we won’t hurt” –

12 (a) kàzwəm’i tùkə nə krɤ̀š’č’ecə nàč’i d’èt pràim žìtu krɤ̀š’č’ec

that’s our saying about the little cross, why we make wheat into a little cross,

13 (a) krɤ̀x də bul’ì nàs də n’i bul’ì slàgəmi gu tùkə

so that the cross will do the hurting and not us. We put it there

14 (a) i c’àl’ d’èn’ i dɤrdžìm t’à ə

and we carry it [that] way all day long –

16 (a) tòj ənɤ̀s d’ètu ud z’im’àtḁ d’ètu ud ž’ìtutu utrɤ̀gnatu̥

that thing that was pulled out of the earth, pulled out from the wheat.

Vasiljovo 1

88 (a) ə kato isčet’è̝ s’èki otìva pri pòpa tòj go pṛ̀ska

After the prayer, everyone goes up to the priest and he sprinkles them

89 (a) sas kìtkata napràil kìtka ud zdràvec i bosìl’ek kṛstàd bosìl’ek

with a bouquet. He’s made a bouquet of wild geranium and basil, shaped in a cross.

90 (a) i tùri gu tùk čùkne go takà ta go pṛ̀sne

He puts it there, taps it so that it sprinkles.

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