Safet's Pocket Dictionary of Bosnian Sacral Geographies
TEFERIČ - funfair, outdoors party - Religious feasts and pilgrimage rituals in Bosnia are almost always followed by teferič, a party which usually includes food (spit-roast lamb and chicken), drinks (especially alcoholic), dance (kolo), singing (various types of folk music). Traditional athletic competitions are staged. Couples flirt and marriages are arranged.
KUMSTVO - 'the greatest bond of friendship' - Kumstvo is often an old bond between families, similar to godparenthood. According to the Bosnian proverb, one's kum is closer than a brother. Often the families will not know when their bond originated. Across Bosnia, it was traditionally forged between families of different religious backgrounds. They would visit each others for holidays and be the first point of contact in times of need. When a kum is chosen, it should be 'someone good, but not very familiar', it cannot be a member of one's family. One tradition recorded in Bosnia is to leave a child at a crossroads and ask the first passerby to become their kum.
KOLO - cyclical dance - Kolo comes in hundreds of variations and is especially prominent in the Balkan Peninsula. It is an old folk dance, depicted on the mediaeval Bosnian tombstones. It symbolises the cycle of life (and death). People make a circle or semi-circle by joining hands or otherwise intertwining. In Bosnia, the most frequent folk kolo is to make one step to the right and two to the left. It is usually danced to music, but there is also 'mute kolo', where only the footsteps make rhythmic sound. Kolo is present at all big events, esspecially during teferič funfair and weddings. Tradition also records funeral kolo.
OMAHA - Bosnian St George's Day ritual - In the wake of dawn, before the daylight is set, young women go to either water slopes or water mills and unclothe. Then they proceed to wash their faces with omaha, magical water which brings health and prosperity. Young men wake up early to watch the ritual from safe distance, while the girls attempt to hide. How to describe the place of omaha? It is 'where the water howls'.
ĐURĐEVDAN / JURJEVO - St George's Day - When Spring comes into full swing, on the 23rd of April according to the Gregorian and the 6th of May according to the Julian calendar, it is marked by Đurđevdan or Jurjevo, St George Day. This is a pan-Bosnian (and in various forms global!) festival. It focuses on movement, rejuvenation, birth, children, potency, and, especially female sexuality. It is also known to Ederlez to some Roma and Hidrelez among the sufis. For Roma, however, this is the most important day of the year, 'Romani day, our day', as their famous song tells.
ILINDAN / ALIĐUN - St Elijah's Day - This is the most important day in the sacral Bosnian calendar. It marks a turning-point of the summer, the end to the harvest and the most difficult labour. It falls on the 24th of June according to the Gregorian and the 2nd of August according to the Julian calendar. Muslims call it Aliđun - Alija's Day, Christians Ilindan- Ilija's Day. The old proverb notes Ilija before noon, Alija in the afternoon, and the festivities are thus divided and connected through the sun at its peak. Like other points in the sacral calendar, this feast is much older than the name would suggest. Slavic mythology is full of references to Perun, the god of thunder, who later transposed into St Elijah. All social activity is condensed into this one day, and a teferič funfair, filled with food, drink, athletic competitions, songs and dance, at times even fistfights, is unavoidable.
LILE - St Peter's Day ritual in Bosnia - A small conical container is made out of tree bark and filled with tree resin. Then, this container is attached to the end of a long wooden stick. The resin can burn for quite some time and children will carry these lights in groups across their village, each of them equipped with a small bag, going from house to house and singing: Lila i kajmaka! or Lile and clotted cream! Nowadays, however, what they demand is not what they get. Instead of clotted cream, they receive fistfuls of candies from the adults. This is very similar, and to some extent related, to the Halloween trick or treat traditions. In various forms, this ritual exists across Bosnia, practiced by Christians and Muslims.
MILODUH - hyssop flower - In some places, on the eve of St George Day, young unmarried women will decorate their house doors with miloduh. When the night falls, men sneak up to steal or scatter the miloduh of the girls they like. Girls, who know it will happen (or at least hope it will happen!), then pretend to be angry and complain about the loss of their 'virginal' flowers.
STEĆCI - Mediaeval Bosnian tombstones - For centuries, thousands of these peculiar sculptures scattered in the Bosnian landscape elicited the imagination of local communities, travelers and scholars. Void of pictorial representations similar to those of their European contemporaries, these Bosnian tombstones provide thousands of images yet to be deciphered. Their messages are strongly condensed into symbols and can be seen at the same time as signs of an esoteric and an exoteric tradition. Their text is directed towards those who pass by, explaining the life deeds of the deceased, pleading for justice to the grave, etc. Stećci are most commonly adorned by symbols of the cross, crescent, star, various spirals, vine and grape clusters, representations of deer and deer hunters, dancers holding hands, lilies and people raising one hand as if waving to passers-by.
NAMUŠA - beautiful girl, of famed beauty - During the teferič funfair, especially for St Elijah's Day, unmarried girls are courted. If the guy is interested and believes he has a chance to win the girl, he approaches her and says: Will you come with me? If she accepts, they walk around the funfair and flirt with each other. Other guys may approach, and she may or may not accept their respective solicitations. The more requests she receives, the more famous she becomes. Such girls are then known as namuša, sometimes even legendary to the point where songs are told of their beauty through generations. One fact worth mentioning, as I was told, these girls were once far from today's fashion; their beauty was measured through physical indicators that they are able to work in the fields and bear children, 'rosy like an apple, not skinny like girls nowadays'.
AJVATOVICA - Muslim pilgrimage site - Secluded upon a rock in the forest, the old man Ajvaz Dedo prayed to God for water to reach his village. He prayer for forty days and forty nights. On the last night, he fell asleep and dreamt of two white rams colliding in the air. When he woke up, the rock beneath him had split into two, and the water was bursting through the crevice. So goes the legend which sustains the largest Muslim pilgrimage site in Europe, also known as 'the small hajj'. Tens of thousands pass through the crevice every summer. The practice was banned in the socialist Yugoslavia. Pilgrims organised secret expeditions during that time.
DOVIŠTE - Bosnian Muslim pilgrimage site - Dovište may be any site where dova (a prayer) is said. Most inhabited place have several such sites, often for rain prayer. However, the most widely visited prayer places are to be found in secluded and remarkable landscapes. Ajvatovica and the Maiden's Cave, the two most visited, are mentioned here. Dovište is not simply a prayer site, but almost regularly followed by a teferič funfair.
JANGIJE - St John's Day ritual fires - A ritual which occurs on the 24th of June, centred upon the summer solstice. One could easily say that these are typical midsummer festivities with a cleansing capacity, but they are also major opportunities to socialise prior to the long winter season. In Kreševo, an ancient mining town in central Bosnia, the community becomes polarised into competition, with the two main neighbourhoods/teams – Gornje Čelo and Donje Čelo. Even though it takes less than a minute to walk through both of these neighbourhoods, it is a very passionate rivalry. Children gather branches and stack them up into tall piles. If they are not careful, the other neighbourhood will sabotage their efforts by burning it before the event. Whose fire will be taller? Whose will last longer? It is a recurrent discussion throughout the year, and the eve of St John's Day might even see a group fist-fight, as the reserved social energy is unleashed.
MAIDEN'S CAVE - Bosnian Muslim pilgrimage site - Djevojačka Pećina (Maiden’s Cave) near the village of Brateljevići is a peculiar place of pilgrimage. Visitors enter the depths of the cathedral-like crevice and make dova, a prayer for the soul of the legendary maiden whose grave lies in the deepest part of the cave. They cover the maiden's grave with gifts and personal artefacts in hope that their prayers will be answered. The layers of etchings, myths and rituals point to the long and continuous usage of this sacred site. Close to this archetypal female symbol, is a spring of aphrodisiac water called simply 'Male Water'. The village hosts one of the largest teferič funfairs on the last day of these prayers.
KAMENA S RAMENA - This literally means 'stone from the shoulder', and it is the traditional folk variant of the Olympic shot put discipline. Competitions are often staged during the St Elijah's Day festivities, along with a number of other disciplines, like running, long jump, shooting, horse races, climbing a greased pole, etc. The best sportsmen are widely known for their skill, sometimes even becoming legendary characters in local narratives.
(to be continued...)
KUMSTVO - 'the greatest bond of friendship' - Kumstvo is often an old bond between families, similar to godparenthood. According to the Bosnian proverb, one's kum is closer than a brother. Often the families will not know when their bond originated. Across Bosnia, it was traditionally forged between families of different religious backgrounds. They would visit each others for holidays and be the first point of contact in times of need. When a kum is chosen, it should be 'someone good, but not very familiar', it cannot be a member of one's family. One tradition recorded in Bosnia is to leave a child at a crossroads and ask the first passerby to become their kum.
KOLO - cyclical dance - Kolo comes in hundreds of variations and is especially prominent in the Balkan Peninsula. It is an old folk dance, depicted on the mediaeval Bosnian tombstones. It symbolises the cycle of life (and death). People make a circle or semi-circle by joining hands or otherwise intertwining. In Bosnia, the most frequent folk kolo is to make one step to the right and two to the left. It is usually danced to music, but there is also 'mute kolo', where only the footsteps make rhythmic sound. Kolo is present at all big events, esspecially during teferič funfair and weddings. Tradition also records funeral kolo.
OMAHA - Bosnian St George's Day ritual - In the wake of dawn, before the daylight is set, young women go to either water slopes or water mills and unclothe. Then they proceed to wash their faces with omaha, magical water which brings health and prosperity. Young men wake up early to watch the ritual from safe distance, while the girls attempt to hide. How to describe the place of omaha? It is 'where the water howls'.
ĐURĐEVDAN / JURJEVO - St George's Day - When Spring comes into full swing, on the 23rd of April according to the Gregorian and the 6th of May according to the Julian calendar, it is marked by Đurđevdan or Jurjevo, St George Day. This is a pan-Bosnian (and in various forms global!) festival. It focuses on movement, rejuvenation, birth, children, potency, and, especially female sexuality. It is also known to Ederlez to some Roma and Hidrelez among the sufis. For Roma, however, this is the most important day of the year, 'Romani day, our day', as their famous song tells.
ILINDAN / ALIĐUN - St Elijah's Day - This is the most important day in the sacral Bosnian calendar. It marks a turning-point of the summer, the end to the harvest and the most difficult labour. It falls on the 24th of June according to the Gregorian and the 2nd of August according to the Julian calendar. Muslims call it Aliđun - Alija's Day, Christians Ilindan- Ilija's Day. The old proverb notes Ilija before noon, Alija in the afternoon, and the festivities are thus divided and connected through the sun at its peak. Like other points in the sacral calendar, this feast is much older than the name would suggest. Slavic mythology is full of references to Perun, the god of thunder, who later transposed into St Elijah. All social activity is condensed into this one day, and a teferič funfair, filled with food, drink, athletic competitions, songs and dance, at times even fistfights, is unavoidable.
LILE - St Peter's Day ritual in Bosnia - A small conical container is made out of tree bark and filled with tree resin. Then, this container is attached to the end of a long wooden stick. The resin can burn for quite some time and children will carry these lights in groups across their village, each of them equipped with a small bag, going from house to house and singing: Lila i kajmaka! or Lile and clotted cream! Nowadays, however, what they demand is not what they get. Instead of clotted cream, they receive fistfuls of candies from the adults. This is very similar, and to some extent related, to the Halloween trick or treat traditions. In various forms, this ritual exists across Bosnia, practiced by Christians and Muslims.
MILODUH - hyssop flower - In some places, on the eve of St George Day, young unmarried women will decorate their house doors with miloduh. When the night falls, men sneak up to steal or scatter the miloduh of the girls they like. Girls, who know it will happen (or at least hope it will happen!), then pretend to be angry and complain about the loss of their 'virginal' flowers.
STEĆCI - Mediaeval Bosnian tombstones - For centuries, thousands of these peculiar sculptures scattered in the Bosnian landscape elicited the imagination of local communities, travelers and scholars. Void of pictorial representations similar to those of their European contemporaries, these Bosnian tombstones provide thousands of images yet to be deciphered. Their messages are strongly condensed into symbols and can be seen at the same time as signs of an esoteric and an exoteric tradition. Their text is directed towards those who pass by, explaining the life deeds of the deceased, pleading for justice to the grave, etc. Stećci are most commonly adorned by symbols of the cross, crescent, star, various spirals, vine and grape clusters, representations of deer and deer hunters, dancers holding hands, lilies and people raising one hand as if waving to passers-by.
NAMUŠA - beautiful girl, of famed beauty - During the teferič funfair, especially for St Elijah's Day, unmarried girls are courted. If the guy is interested and believes he has a chance to win the girl, he approaches her and says: Will you come with me? If she accepts, they walk around the funfair and flirt with each other. Other guys may approach, and she may or may not accept their respective solicitations. The more requests she receives, the more famous she becomes. Such girls are then known as namuša, sometimes even legendary to the point where songs are told of their beauty through generations. One fact worth mentioning, as I was told, these girls were once far from today's fashion; their beauty was measured through physical indicators that they are able to work in the fields and bear children, 'rosy like an apple, not skinny like girls nowadays'.
AJVATOVICA - Muslim pilgrimage site - Secluded upon a rock in the forest, the old man Ajvaz Dedo prayed to God for water to reach his village. He prayer for forty days and forty nights. On the last night, he fell asleep and dreamt of two white rams colliding in the air. When he woke up, the rock beneath him had split into two, and the water was bursting through the crevice. So goes the legend which sustains the largest Muslim pilgrimage site in Europe, also known as 'the small hajj'. Tens of thousands pass through the crevice every summer. The practice was banned in the socialist Yugoslavia. Pilgrims organised secret expeditions during that time.
DOVIŠTE - Bosnian Muslim pilgrimage site - Dovište may be any site where dova (a prayer) is said. Most inhabited place have several such sites, often for rain prayer. However, the most widely visited prayer places are to be found in secluded and remarkable landscapes. Ajvatovica and the Maiden's Cave, the two most visited, are mentioned here. Dovište is not simply a prayer site, but almost regularly followed by a teferič funfair.
JANGIJE - St John's Day ritual fires - A ritual which occurs on the 24th of June, centred upon the summer solstice. One could easily say that these are typical midsummer festivities with a cleansing capacity, but they are also major opportunities to socialise prior to the long winter season. In Kreševo, an ancient mining town in central Bosnia, the community becomes polarised into competition, with the two main neighbourhoods/teams – Gornje Čelo and Donje Čelo. Even though it takes less than a minute to walk through both of these neighbourhoods, it is a very passionate rivalry. Children gather branches and stack them up into tall piles. If they are not careful, the other neighbourhood will sabotage their efforts by burning it before the event. Whose fire will be taller? Whose will last longer? It is a recurrent discussion throughout the year, and the eve of St John's Day might even see a group fist-fight, as the reserved social energy is unleashed.
MAIDEN'S CAVE - Bosnian Muslim pilgrimage site - Djevojačka Pećina (Maiden’s Cave) near the village of Brateljevići is a peculiar place of pilgrimage. Visitors enter the depths of the cathedral-like crevice and make dova, a prayer for the soul of the legendary maiden whose grave lies in the deepest part of the cave. They cover the maiden's grave with gifts and personal artefacts in hope that their prayers will be answered. The layers of etchings, myths and rituals point to the long and continuous usage of this sacred site. Close to this archetypal female symbol, is a spring of aphrodisiac water called simply 'Male Water'. The village hosts one of the largest teferič funfairs on the last day of these prayers.
KAMENA S RAMENA - This literally means 'stone from the shoulder', and it is the traditional folk variant of the Olympic shot put discipline. Competitions are often staged during the St Elijah's Day festivities, along with a number of other disciplines, like running, long jump, shooting, horse races, climbing a greased pole, etc. The best sportsmen are widely known for their skill, sometimes even becoming legendary characters in local narratives.
(to be continued...)
MAPS OF GACKO AND OTHER RESEARCH AREAS
(large formats available upon request)
(large formats available upon request)
2013 © copyright Safet HadžiMuhamedović - Department of Anthropology, Goldsmiths, University of London