Festivals and Calendar
| Festivals and Calendar | |
|---|---|
| Moravska State Archive · 1976 | |
| Classification | Rituals and Calendar |
| Status | canon |
| Last updated | 2026-11-03 |
| Archive source | 06 Rituals and Calendar/Festivals and Calendar.md |
| Length | 968 words (5 min read) |
| Internal links | 6 outgoing, 9 incoming |
| Sources | 4 cited |
Contents
[hide]The year has 2 calendars. The state calendar sets the work. The church calendar sets the feasts. The two calendars share the dates but not the names.
The church keeps the old calendar. Christmas falls on 7 January.
The year [edit]
| Date | Festival | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year | State | The main family feast of winter |
| 7 January | Christmas | Church | A 3-day table. The state calls it "the winter holiday" |
| 19 January | Voditsa | Church and folk | A cross into the harbour. Boys dive for it |
| 14 February | Pruning day | Folk | The first cut of the vine. A shared lamb |
| 1 March | Zalnitsa | Folk | The red and white cord. The first sign of spring |
| March or April | Easter | Church | The strongest feast. A night service |
| First Sunday after Easter | Opening of the Sea | Folk | The boats are blessed. The season starts |
| 1 May | Labour Day | State | A parade, a speech, a half day |
| 24 May | Day of the Word | State and church | A procession with the alphabet. See Script and Typography |
| June | The resort season | State | 4 months of work and money |
| July | Day of the Fleet | State | Ships open to the public. A fleet review |
| 28 August | Kervan Fair | Folk and church | A pilgrimage and a 3-day market |
| 4 October | The Turn | State | The party holiday of 1944. A parade and a film |
| 10 November | Closing of the Sea | Folk and state | The last sailing. Nets stored. A short season |
| First Saturday of December | Copper Night | Work | The smelters' feast. A new custom, from 1951 |
Voditsa [edit]
The priest takes a copper cross to the harbour on 19 January. He throws the cross into the water. Divers jump from the pier to find it.
The finder keeps the cross for a year and holds a place of honour at the next feast. The water is 5 °C. A doctor stands on the pier.
Zalnitsa [edit]
The Zalnitsa is a red and white cord. A person gives it on 1 March and wears it until the first stork or the first blossom.
The cord has 2 rules.
- A person gives a cord to a friend, not to a kinsman.
- A cord is worn on the left wrist until the spring sign.
The state prints the cord on a 1974 poster as "a survival of superstition". The cord sells out in the same month.
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Note:
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The cord and the party
A party secretary buys 40 cords each March for the office. The office wears them. The secretary explains the cord as "a folk tradition of the working people".
|
Opening of the Sea [edit]
The rite falls on the first Sunday after Easter. The fleet and the fishing boats line up outside the bay.
The priest blesses the water. The party officer blesses the plan. Both speak for 4 minutes.
A boat that stays in port on this day loses face. A boat owner who cannot sail sends a child with a candle.
Day of the Fleet [edit]
The state created the day in 1969. It falls in July and it has 4 parts.
- A review of 6 ships in the bay.
- An open day on 2 ships.
- A concert at the port square.
- A medal for a crew with a good record.
The day is popular. A child remembers a first walk on a real ship.
Kervan Fair [edit]
The fair starts on 28 August at the Kervan monastery. It runs for 3 days.
A farmer brings a lamb, cheese, wine, and a timber load. A trader brings cloth, tools, and a foreign good. A young person comes to be seen.
The fair is the main marriage market of the interior. See Courtship and Marriage.
Copper Night [edit]
The smelters invented the feast in 1951. It falls on the first Saturday of December.
A shift lights a small furnace in the yard. The crew shares a lamb and a barrel of wine. The plant gives a bonus and a medal.
The feast is a work rite, not a folk rite. It celebrates the trade and the crew.
The Turn [edit]
The Fourth of October is the party holiday. It marks the autumn turn of 1944. See Socialist Moravska.
The day has 3 parts.
- A parade with the fleet and the plant brigades.
- A speech by the first secretary, 50 minutes long.
- A film and a fireworks show at the port.
A family attends the parade and eats at home. The two acts live together without comment.
The season [edit]
The year has 3 seasons of work, not 4.
| Season | Months | Character |
|---|---|---|
| The closed sea | December to March | Repair, school, smelting, indoor life |
| The open sea | April to July | Fishing, sailing, building, planting |
| The season | July to September | Resorts, tourism, harvest, extra work |
| The closing | October to November | Canning, wine, plan review, the last sailing |
Weak points [edit]
- A late Easter moves the Opening of the Sea and the first catch.
- The resort season and the harvest need the same hands in August.
- The state holiday and the church feast share a week in January and cost 2 days of work.
- A bad year puts the Closing of the Sea before the last catch.
Other notes [edit]
See also[edit]
Sources[edit]
- Official document State Sports Council (1974). Ministry circular on regional administration in Medenik. Ministry of Culture. MOC-1974-7852. Cited in Opening of the Sea, Other notes. See also Cuisine.
- Survey report K. Mladinov (1975). Coastal survey report: the Kraybrezhie. Coastal Survey Office. CSO-1975-3112. Cited in Other notes, Voditsa. See also Socialist Moravska.
- Oral history I. Petrov (1974). Oral history transcript, the Kervan range. Narodna Biblioteka Moravska. NBM-1974-1752. Cited in Kervan Fair, Other notes. See also The Kervan Race.
- Statistical compendium M. Dragova (1972). Comecon statistical yearbook, 1976. Comecon Secretariat. COM-1972-1862. Cited in Other notes, Day of the Fleet. See also Zadruga System.
References[edit]
Documents in the archive that cite or cross-reference Festivals and Calendar:
- ^ "Climate". Foundations, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "Cuisine". Arts and Leisure, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "Hosting a World Event". Society and Power, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "Music". Arts and Leisure, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "Religion". Society and Power, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "Rites of Passage". Rituals and Calendar, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "The Kervan Race". Arts and Leisure, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "Zadruga System". Culture, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.
- ^ "Zaligrad". Foundations, Narodna Biblioteka Moravska, 1976.