- This is a unique custom only in this region. Everyone who has saved in their lifetime when they get old gives them to this treat which is attended by about 1500-2000 people
- In the spring and summer it is not done because there are fewer people – some have gone abroad or work in the fields
- Local wedding rituals will fight for inclusion in UNESCO
What is it like to gather an entire village for a dinner that starts a little earlier – from noon, and continues until dark.
This unique custom can only be seen in the village of Ribnovo, also known for its attractive two-day weddings. But dinner is also a trademark of the mountain village. It is a Muslim tradition passed down through the ages to this day that is found nowhere else.
A local man, usually an elderly man, decides to treat all the villagers. And because there are about 3,100 people living in Ribnovo, dinner actually starts at noon – after the Friday noon prayer.
“Years ago, sons and daughters of the deceased gave such a dinner,
but now this is what the elderly do, who realize that their life in this world is coming to an end, and during their lifetime they cancel the commitment of their loved ones, and also to remember the living with good for them in time.
People believe that whatever you give and give in this world, you will receive in the next. This is a dinner for khair, a kind of charitable donation”, says Ibrahim Kadriev, who is a teacher at “Yordan Yovkov” high school, but also the person who studies local traditions and documents them with photos and videos.
Almost every Friday from autumn to spring in Ribnovo someone gives dinner – for this purpose a hall in the community center is used, which is the largest and accommodates about 400 people.
In the spring and summer it is not done because there are fewer people in the village – most have gone on a seasonal excursion or have work in the fields.
The day before the dinner, relatives go from house to house and invite people. At least 1,500-2,000 people respond, and the organization and preparation are by no means easy.
Preparations begin from early dawn
In the backyard of the community center are the hearths for 12 cauldrons and at least 4 large trays.
“It is mandatory to make 5-6 pots of meat with rice and the same amount of meat with beans. 4-5 trays with halva are made separately. A large calf goes for the meal.
After the midday prayer in the mosque, first the men and the youth go to the dinner. After they have eaten, the women and children come. The children, who are the first shift at school, are also guests of the person who gives the dinner after the lessons.
The other students – from the second shift, go in the evening”, adds the teacher Kadriev.
It also reveals the intricacies of preparing such a large amount of food. The fire under the cauldrons must be made only of beech wood, and the master chefs can be counted on the fingers of one hand, because
not everyone sets out to prepare so much food,
without risk of failure. Halva, on the other hand, has a unique taste and at the same time is prepared from a few ingredients.
“Corn and white flour, oil and sugar are needed. First, fry the oil and add the flour. A long and persistent stirring begins, at least 3 hours. Ten people are needed for one tray. They stir three at a time, continuously for 3-4 minutes and then switch.
When the flour takes on color, the sherbet – sugar dissolved in water – is poured in, and the mixing continues”, the mayor of the village, Mustafa Likov, explains the recipe for Ribnov halva.
Besides the meal, there is bread and soft drinks on the table, but never alcohol.
One such dinner a year ago cost around 7
thousand BGN, now – up to 10 thousand
because of the more expensive products. If the family raises animals and does not have to buy a calf, it can get by with less expense.
“It is an almsgiving in the name of Allah, without seeking any benefit. Anyone who has saved money in their lifetime gives this treat when they get old. Dinner can also be given on the occasion of a new house, for example. Then, because the house cannot accommodate so many people, they stay in the neighbors’ houses along the whole street”, explains the local custom Ibrahim Kadriev.
To enter the list of intangible cultural
inheritance
of UNESCO, another characteristic local custom will be fought – the wedding in Ribnovo, already known all over the world.
These celebrations last for two days, and these are the weddings where you won’t see a bride in a white dress or guests in formal, modern outfits. In Ribnovo and on weekdays, everyone wears the traditional local colorful costumes, but the most beautiful ones are prepared for a wedding. The bride is also in a costume characteristic only of this village.
The climax and the most attractive part of the two-day wedding is the gelina ritual, which means written bride. On the second day, the bride’s face is decorated and written. The women of the clan cover the face with a thick layer of cream, on which they place colorful and glittering sequins.
Instead of a white veil, a red one decorated with shiny garlands is put on.
The preparation of the geline continues for almost two hours, and then she already has her eyes closed and while she walks clinging to her new home, she carries a mirror. The idea is not to look at others,
he keeps himself away from lessons, and in order not to look back – to his father’s house
and not to be pitiful (split). The first day is celebrated by the groom’s guests, and the second by the bride’s relatives and friends. It often turns out that almost the whole village is invited to the lavish celebration, which on both days is accompanied by lots of music and a choir in the square.
Another very specific thing for the Ribnovo wedding is the display of the chaise in front of the whole village. Huge skeletons are erected in front of the bride’s house, often occupying the entire street, where the household goods are displayed for all to see what the bride will take to her new home.
There is everything from furniture for the living room, kitchen, children’s room, dining room, kitchen furniture, household appliances to curtains, blankets, carpets, rugs, clothes, colanders for children and clothes, slippers…
Everything is loaded onto a truck and goes to the girl’s new home.
“The application and approval procedure in the world organization for education, science and culture will last for years, it will not happen quickly, but it is worth the patience. The important thing is that we started with the preparation, it is not impossible to do it.
Before UNESCO, however, the Ribnovo wedding must be entered into the national system “Living Human Treasures – Bulgaria”. We already have an initiative committee, we will provide video materials and other required documents, for
to show the originality of our wedding
Even now there is great interest in it and tourists staying in the nearby villages of Kovachevitsa, Leshten, and Ognyanovo. People are asking when there will be a wedding to come and see this unique event in the world.
I realized that even in Dubai, in one of the advertisements for Bulgaria as a tourist destination, along with the Rila Monastery, the Rose Valley, the Belogradchik Rocks, our wedding is also included,” explained the director of the high school, Mancho Jurkin, who is among the initiators of the entry of the ritual into UNESCO.
