work bees

Bangejci 2

18 (a) xm i tɤ̀j tɤ̀j stàvəši ràbutə̥tə̥ sə kàzvə pràexmi sid'ànkə

And so. That’s how it was. We had [what] was called work bees,

20 (a) t'è n'àkuj mu vìkət pr'èd'enkə [laughter]

some now call them spinning bees [laughter].

21 (TD) əm kət ste pràili sedènki ɤ pred'àxte l' tàm

Well when you had these work bees, um, did you do spinning then?

22 (TD) zətovà ste mu vìkəli pr'èdenkə təkà li

And that’s why you called them spinning bees, right?

23 (a) əm či ili še plit'è n'àkujə čuràpi li kəkvòtu šə plit'è

Well, either you’ll knit some socks, or whatever [you have] to knit,

24 (a) ə kòjtu si ìmə də prid'è šə prid'è kòjtu si ìmə

and whoever has some spinning to do will spin, and whoever has

25 (a) də plit'è kòj kəkòtu si ìmə ràbutə nòsi si jə i tɤ̀j

something to knit – each one brings whatever work she has to do.

Breste 3

6 (GK) jà kažì se sedènki ednò vrème kàk pràexte sedènki li mu vìkahte

Tell [me] about work-bees, what you did in the old days. You called them work-bees?

7 (a) ami sedènki sedènki pràveme seden kotò dòjde svèti ilìja svèti

Work-bees. We had work-bees when St. Elias’s day came,

27 (a) za sedènkite dà i koto dòde svèti ilìja i pòčva:me

About work bees, yes. When St. Elias’s day came, and we’d begin –

35 (a) tà emi pràve:me si sedènki nakladèm ògɤn svetùčkata predè:me pòsle zatrìa tavà

So we had work bees. We light the fire, spin “svetuchka”, and then that stopped

57 (GK) ama ne gì li pràexte po kɤ̀štite ili na vɤ̀nka na megdàn’a

But didn’t you do [work bees] in various houses? Or outside, on the square

58 (a) na megdàn’a na vɤ̀nka mòže i po kɤ̀štite koto sa zazimèe

In the square, outside. We could also do it in different houses when winter came.

59 (a) i po kɤ̀štite a koto e vɤ̀n bèreme se tàm ženorlìa doòdat

in [their] house. When it’s outside we gather there, women come,

60 (a) ženì momì zàedno nèma koto segìkana da nèma ženì

[younger] women, maidens together. Not like now with no women.

61 (a) ženìte sa poznàvat i si predɤ̀t i tìja si glèdame

The women knew each other, and spun. We looked after one another.

62 (a) mɤ̀že ìma si dečurlìga i tìja si ràbotea pri nàs

There were husbands and children, and they worked along with us.

67 (a) ja tovà mu kàzvam nèkoj takà si sedènki si pràve:me

I’m telling him about that! Back then that’s how we did work bees.

68 (GK) a sedènka i tlakà razlìčni ràboti li sa

Are work bees and house parties different things?

78 (GK) a pɤ̀k sedènkata si e

Whereas a work bee is –

79 (a) sedènkata si e drùgo

A work bee is different.

80 (GK) takà sàmo za

It’s just for –

81 (a) sedènkata sì e da se grìžiš za tèbe si sèki da

At the work bee you’re concerned for yourself, each one.

Dolno Draglište 1

29 (VZh) [Как правехте седенки?]

[Did you have work bees?]

30 (a) əmi ìdeme tàm ne nèngə ne nè pùsna: də ìdeme nìe plàčeme

Well [yes,] we [used to] go there. Sometimes they didn’t let us go, [but] we cry

31 (a) ìskəme də ìdeme pùsna: ne predè̝me pletè̝me kòj štò ìmə pɛ̀eme

[that] we want to go, and they let us. We spin, knit, whatever each has, and sing.

32 (a) ergène dòjda: izgàsa: ni pə i làmbətə [laughter]

And the bachelors come and even put out the lights by us! [laughter].

33 (a) i təvà sme rəbutìli tàm pu sedènč'i̥te [laughter]

And that’s what we did at the work bees [laughter].

34 (a) kòj koj si ìmə mumà də si zəlàže sèdne si kud mumàtə

And whichever [one] has a girl[friend] to amuse, he sits by the girl

35 (a) dùma: si [laughter] sètne pə si begùvame

and they talk to one another [laughter] And then we leave.

36 (a) bèga: si vèče tàm dèkə sme nə sedènkətə

Everybody leaves. When we [are ready to leave] the work bee,

37 (a) vòda: si ne tàm rudìtelìte ergènetò sə sus nàs

our parents [come to] take us home, and the bachelors are with us,

38 (a) də sì ne vòda: [laughter]

and they accompany us [too]. [laughter]

Dolno Ujno

143 (a) i na sedènki se e pejàlo

And there was singing at work bees.

144 (RA) kakvò e sedènka

What’s a work bee?

145 (a) sedènk'a na vèčer kato se səbèrat momčèta momìčeta

A work bee – in the evening the boys and girls gather together,

146 (a) i sedenk'ùvat rabòtat kojà pletè kojà predè

and they sit around and work. One knits, another one spins,

147 (a) kojà si nèšto drùgo rabòti i si pèjatᵊ

another does something else, and they sing –

148 (RA) a sè zàedno

Ah. All together?

149 (a) e pa zàedno pèjatᵊ igràjat orò

Well yes, all together! They sing, they dance the horo –

150 (RA) momì ergèni

Young maids, bachelors –

151 (a) momì ergèn'i

Young maids, bachelors.

152 (GK) a kədè se zbìraxa

And where would they get together?

153 (a) hɤ̀ po kɤ̀štite

Well, in various houses!

155 (a) po kɤ̀štite̥

In various houses.

157 (a) kɤdè ìma momìče vìka gi tìja koì sa momčèta momìčeta

Where there’s a girl, she’ll invite them, the boys and girls whom [she wants],

158 (a) i se səbìrat

and they get together.

160 (a) ìma po trì četìrese dùši sə sə sɤbiràle

There are about thirty or forty people who got together

161 (a) prez mòjo ž [laughter] prez mòjo živòt [laughter]

during my li- [laughter] during my lifetime [laughter].

163 (GK) u ednà kɤ̀šta

In one house?

164 (a) u ednà kɤ̀šta

In one house.

165 (b) oxò

Oho!

190 (RA) əmi da za sedènka tòlkova tòlkova vəf ednà kɤ̀šta

And at a work bee there were so many, so many people in one house!

191 (a) e pa vəf ednà kɤ̀šta razbìra se

In one house yes. Of course!

192 (RA) e mnògo vèselo

Well [that must have been] very high-spirited.

193 (a) e vèselo segà nèma tìja ràboti

Yes, high-spirited. Now they don’t have such things any more.

202 (GK) ami če tè takà rəz razrešàvaxa li stàrite

But did the older people allow this?

203 (GK) da sa zbìrat na ednò mòmi i

Gathering together in one [place, both] maidens and –

204 (a) pa rešàvaxa razbìra se

Well they allowed it, of course.

206 (a) i stàrite si sedàtᵊ

And the older ones are sitting there.

207 (GK) à tìja vàrdat tàm

Ah, they keep watch there!

208 (a) à èja tòa nèmaše tìja ràboti [laughter]

Huh? Ah no! Those sorts of things didn’t happen. [laughter]

218 (GK) na sedènkite li se zapoznàvaa momìte i ergènite

Did the maidens and bachelors get to know each other at the work bees?

219 (a) e pa razbìra se i na sedènki i na sobòrje ìnače

At the work bees, of course; and the village celebrations, and otherwise –

Gigen 2

1 (VZh) [Къде се събираха младите хора преди?]

[Where did young people used to gather earlier on?]

2 (c) nìe pò ràno kato momì ergène takà sḁ si opredelìle̝ sedɛ̀nk’i

Back then [when] we were maidens and bachelors they had work bees.

3 (c) sedɛ̀nkitȉ sa xòdim nè kato segà zbìrštinə tugàvə sme xudìle̝

These work bees we go to – it’s not like when rabble gather these days. Back then we went

4 (c) səs ràbota sme prèle̝ ìdvat mumčèata nìj kàzvame ergènite̝ ìdvat

with work! We'd spin. Then come the boys – we called them “bachelors”.

5 (c) kòjta ergènin si ìma prijàtelka sèdne si do nèja

If one of the bachelors has a girlfriend, he sits down next to her,

6 (c) lègne i f pulɤ̀ta prikàzvat si t’à si predè tòj

puts his head in her lap and they chat. She keeps on spinning, while he,

7 (c) tòj akò se e poizmòril màlko na ràbota mòže i da zàspi

if he’s gotten tired out from his own work, can even fall asleep

8 (c) f pulɤ̀ta na momàta

in the girl’s lap.

10 (c) ne è za čùdo i stuìm dukadɛ̀ idinàez dvanàes čəsɤ̀

That wouldn’t be a surprise! So we stay there until eleven or twelve o’clock,

11 (c) pribìrame sɤ kojàto momà si ìma prijàtel tòj si ja ispràšta

and then go home. If a girl has a boyfriend, he accompanies her,

12 (c) puprikàzvə si tàm nə ùlicətə i sə pribìrət

They chat [for a while] there on the street, and then they go home.

13 (c) bɛ̀še mnòu xùbəu mnògu

It was very nice. Very [nice].

Gorno Vŭršilo 2

2 (b) za sedènkite kvò da ti raspràv'am kà gi kladɛ̀xme ednò vrème

What should I tell you about work bees? How we set them up

3 (b) kladɛ̀xme gi na pàte dṛ̀va saberèm nakladèm gi sedìm predèm grɛ̀em se

in the old days? We made them outdoors. We gather wood, light the fire, sit, spin, get warm

4 (c) i vincè [laughter]

and [have] a bit of wine [laughter]

5 (b) du dvà časà

until – up to two o’clock.

6 (b) zbìrame se smɛ̀xᵊ pɛ̀sni prìkaski sìčko ìmaše

We get together, laughter, songs, stories – Everything. There was [everything].

Izgrev/Car

1 (a) tə mumìče kətu bèhme mnògu sedènki zbìrəhme puprèl’ki i

Well, when we were girls we got together a lot for work bees, spinning bees and –

2 (a) mežì čùkəhme nə kənòpəl’ i šč’à: sə zberème də hòdime nə mežìt’e

joint work bees where we pounded hemp. We would all meet up to go to the joint work bees,

3 (a) čùkəhme mumìčetətə ud ednɤ̀ stərnɤ̀ i mumčè̝tətə ud drùgə stɤ̀rnə

we pounded, the girls on one side and the boys on the other side.

4 (a) hùbəu əmə mumčè̝ kət š’à: dòjde š’à: dìgne ednə mumà də čùkə

O.K., but when a boy would come, one of the girls would get up to [go] pound

5 (a) səz drùgətə mumà čùkəhme

with another girl. We pounded it –

6 (VZh) [Какво чукахте?]

[What did you pound?]

7 (a) kənòpəl’ i s’ètne kət š’à: učùkəme

[yes,] hemp. And when we’d finish pounding

8 (a) kənòpəl’ət si stànvəhme tə sto š’à: də sə hrànime prài

the hemp we would get up to – We would have some food, we’d –

9 (a) jədè̝me št’ɛ̀še də jədè̝me

We’d eat! We would eat!

10 (a) pràihə terpèzə čurbəžìjkite tàm dètu vìkəhə mežì

The wives of the landowners who’d called us to the joint work bees set up the table

11 (a) tə pràihme tə š’à: sə hrànime š’à: š’à: pul’ɛ̀me nə mumč’è̝tətə wòdə

and we made – now we’d eat. We’d – we’d pour water for the boys.

12 (a) š’à: kùkneme kùknətu̥tu š’à: kù̥kneme təkà i də pràime nə

We’d sit on our knees, like that, down on our knees so we could make –

13 (a) də pul’ɛ̀eme nə mumč’ètu wòdə kuèti mumč’è e čùkəlu səs səs mè̝ne

so we could pour water for the boy – the boy that was pounding with me,

14 (a) i š’à: mu pòl’əm òdə də sə umìje i š’àvə tùr’et terpèzə gul’àmə

and I’d pour him water so he could wash. And they’d set a big table

15 (a) də ədème š’à: svər’ɤ̀t fasùl’ ə pupèr turšìe kukòški vər’àhə

for us to eat. They’d cook up beans, peppers, pickles – and they cooked chicken –

16 (a) š’à: də š’à: də sə nəjədème če š’à: stàneme tugàə

We’d – we’d eat our fill and then we’d get up

17 (a) də igràeme hòru də pejème pejɛ̀hme svìrehə səs kəvàl mumč’ètətə

to dance the horo and to sing. We sang, the boys played the end-blown flute,

18 (a) i mlògu beše hùbəvu i nə pupr’èlkite kətu š’à: pòme

and it was really nice. And when we’d go to the spinning bees,

19 (a) š’à: si zèmeme lànu kòšnicə də də tùrime i òrehi vɤ̀tre

we’d take a basket of carded wool to – to put walnuts in also

Main menu

work bees

Bangejci 2

Breste 3

Dolno Draglište 1

Dolno Ujno

Gigen 2

Gorno Vŭršilo 2

Izgrev/Car

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Main menu

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work bees

Bangejci 2

Breste 3

Dolno Draglište 1

Dolno Ujno

Gigen 2

Gorno Vŭršilo 2

Izgrev/Car

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