Page 1 of 13 1234511 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 125

Thread: Ancient traditions and rituals in the Macedonian Folklore - Rusalii

  1. #1
    Banned
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Last Online
    @
    Ethnicity
    Macedonian
    Country
    Macedonia
    Gender
    Posts
    2,740
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 1,998
    Given: 1,604

    5 Not allowed!

    Default Ancient traditions and rituals in the Macedonian Folklore - Rusalii

    The most common name for these traditions is Rusalii.
    These ancient traditions are common for the south-eastern part of Republic of Macedonia, namely the region around Gevgeli but before the split of the region Macedonia or before 1912, these traditions were present in Enidze Vardar or today's Giannica, Kukus or Kilkis all in Greece now.
    The Rusalii traditions of Macedonians are similar to the Romanian Căluş.
    The custom happens between Christmas and 12th Night, with bands of 20 to 60 young men who form the rusalski družini.
    In common with the Căluş, no one is allowed to go among them except those who wished to be healed, and the Meglo-Aroumanian version includes a mute dressed in fancy dress.
    The Eska(performed by people around Voden, now Edessa and Kostur, now Kastoria in Greece) have one part of group masked, carrying wooden swords, and the other wear large bells and have their faces blacked, this combination of two distinct groups can also be found in Austria.
    The Bulgarians also have Rusalii and these tradition can be found mainly in Northern Bulgaria.

    These dances have footprints from the old Hellenistic or Roman pagan times and can be connected to some ancient people that lived in Macedonia by those times, Peaonians, Macedonians???
    Some speculate that the name Rusalii derives from the Roman Rosalia festival of the Romanised Thracians, which has its routes in the ceremonies of the ancient Thracians.
    Term Rosalia occurs in old Bulgarian manuscripts where it is loosely applied to kukeri dances and other rites, all condemned by the medieval church.
    The earliest documentary reference is by Demetrios Cromatianos (Archbishp of Ohrid) recorded in the 13th century.
    It's worth mentioning that some Slavic people like Russians also have dances called Rusalii but these are quite different than those played in Macedonia as these are performed by women, samodivas, wearing masks of animals.

    The Aroumainian Alungucearii or Aruguciari dances take place after Lent, and these have now spread to Dobrogea (Romania) due to the recent population exchanges.

    One could speculate the Arnăuţi of Moldavia could be derived from the customs around Macedonia. In Romanian Arnăuţi means Albanian or mercenary, and the dance includes a feature of dances in columns with striking of swords in stylised battle which can be seen in the performances of Rusalii but is not found elsewhere in Romania. Could this be the remnant left behind by some displaced southern Balkan peoples?

    Every 'druzina' has 20 - 60 young boys or men around the ages of 20 - 40, that form pairs.
    The 'druzina' forms a chain called horo or oro and is lead by one pair of men from whom the first man is called 'Prot' or 'Baltadzia' from the Turkis word 'Baltia' for Axe because he carries an axe with which he waves during the dance and this waving is performed against evil magic and to defend his 'druzina' or his vaillage. This performance is also considered to have a healing actions

    The participants of the band wear skirts called 'Fustanella' and carry one sword each except for the first man who carries an axe.
    Rusalii from Koinsko, a village near Gevgeli, where I have ancestry from:




    On the first day of Christmas after the church bell rings, the participants start to gather and to form the 'druzina' and after formation they start their journey to the place where the dance will take place.
    If by chance on their journey other 'druzina' crosses their road, this is considered as a disrespect and very often there were fights between them and many times resulting with dead combatants.

    Macedonian Rusalian dance:




    The people from this region have old believes that near the town of Gumendze or Goumenissa in Greek, there is a hidden treasure from the time of Alexander the Great that lies buried somewhere beneath the village of Gorgopik or Gorgopi, near Gumendze.
    Gumendze, where I also have some ancestry from, was/is known by the quality wine produced in/around the town.

    Another instrumental Macedonian Rusallia:

    Last edited by Aspar; 09-25-2018 at 12:20 PM.

  2. #2
    I'm back, angrier than ever
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Last Online
    11-19-2023 @ 06:49 PM
    Ethnicity
    Bulgarian with a whiff of Greek
    Country
    Bulgaria
    Gender
    Posts
    5,052
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 1,415
    Given: 571

    2 Not allowed!

    Default

    Also found in Pirin Macedonia

    From 9:10


  3. #3
    Veteran Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Last Online
    10-13-2023 @ 10:59 AM
    Location
    Somewhere
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Slavic
    Ethnicity
    Serbian
    Country
    Australia
    Taxonomy
    Atlanto-Mediterrean
    Religion
    Orthodox Christian
    Gender
    Posts
    3,018
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 735
    Given: 846

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    What's the difference between Rusalka and Rusalii (Latinised), Aspar?

    PS Ognebog is the Serbian God of fire which is simply Agni, the Vedic God of fire. Baba Yoga was a great Slavik/Serbian personality, known also as Baba Yaga and Mother Yogini. Baba was a mystic yogini who sheltered homeless children in the forest and taught them the sacred lore. The Christians with their customary generosity turned Baba Yoga into a witch who eats children. Many of the Serbian/Slavik Gods have names which are derived from Sanskrit, Devana, Vanapagan, Domovoy, Stribog, Samodiva, Pater Diy, Svantovich, Dolya, Nedolya, Jiva, Maya, Makosh, Morana, Koliada, Rusalka, all part of Serbian folklore and all names which are related to Sanskrit/Vedic culture. Below are more examples of the similarities between Sanskrit and Serbian language.

    http://prasadam.co.uk/articles/441-s...ian-slavs.html

  4. #4
    Banned
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Last Online
    @
    Ethnicity
    Macedonian
    Country
    Macedonia
    Gender
    Posts
    2,740
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 1,998
    Given: 1,604

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Novi Pazar View Post
    What's the difference between Rusalka and Rusalii (Latinised), Aspar?

    PS Ognebog is the Serbian God of fire which is simply Agni, the Vedic God of fire. Baba Yoga was a great Slavik/Serbian personality, known also as Baba Yaga and Mother Yogini. Baba was a mystic yogini who sheltered homeless children in the forest and taught them the sacred lore. The Christians with their customary generosity turned Baba Yoga into a witch who eats children. Many of the Serbian/Slavik Gods have names which are derived from Sanskrit, Devana, Vanapagan, Domovoy, Stribog, Samodiva, Pater Diy, Svantovich, Dolya, Nedolya, Jiva, Maya, Makosh, Morana, Koliada, Rusalka, all part of Serbian folklore and all names which are related to Sanskrit/Vedic culture. Below are more examples of the similarities between Sanskrit and Serbian language.

    http://prasadam.co.uk/articles/441-s...ian-slavs.html
    Once again don't turn my thread into shitfest...
    You are retarded and can not understand that Serbs =/= Slavs.
    Those were Slavic pagan gods.
    The Rusallia as I explained has elements of the folklore of the pre Slavic people and these are shared with other non Slavic people in the Balkans, like Romanians and Albanians.
    The only thing why the names of the Slavic god and this ritual are similar is because of shared Thracian - Slavic elements as both people lived close to each other.

  5. #5
    Veteran Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Last Online
    Today @ 08:58 AM
    Ethnicity
    ?
    Country
    Antarctica
    Gender
    Posts
    4,113
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 3,800
    Given: 4,576

    4 Not allowed!

    Default

    Beautiful culture, I hope it is preserved

  6. #6
    Veteran Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Last Online
    10-13-2023 @ 10:59 AM
    Location
    Somewhere
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Slavic
    Ethnicity
    Serbian
    Country
    Australia
    Taxonomy
    Atlanto-Mediterrean
    Religion
    Orthodox Christian
    Gender
    Posts
    3,018
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 735
    Given: 846

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Aspar View Post
    Once again don't turn my thread into shitfest...
    You are retarded and can not understand that Serbs =/= Slavs.
    Those were Slavic pagan gods.
    The Rusallia as I explained has elements of the folklore of the pre Slavic people and these are shared with other non Slavic people in the Balkans, like Romanians and Albanians.
    The only thing why the names of the Slavic god and this ritual are similar is because of shared Thracian - Slavic elements as both people lived close to each other.
    What's the difference between Serbian Rusalka and this Rusalii of yours? Btw, Thracian was the Roman/Greekification of RAS!

  7. #7
    Veteran Member Skerdilaid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Last Online
    06-05-2020 @ 05:33 PM
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Paleohaimos
    Ethnicity
    Shqiptar
    Country
    Albania
    Y-DNA
    R1b-CTS9219>BY611
    Politics
    Drenicak
    Gender
    Posts
    6,075
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 3,544
    Given: 3,467

    1 Not allowed!

    Default

    So the Albanian sword dance in other words, interesting.

  8. #8
    Veteran Member
    Apricity Funding Member
    "Friend of Apricity"

    Crn Volk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Last Online
    @
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Slavic
    Ethnicity
    Macedonian
    Country
    Macedonia
    Taxonomy
    Pontid-CM
    Hero
    Julius Evola
    Religion
    Orthodox
    Gender
    Posts
    14,812
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 6,157
    Given: 6,705

    1 Not allowed!

    Default

    Wonder if it's related to the Aramisko oro from Bitola region


  9. #9
    Banned
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Last Online
    @
    Ethnicity
    Macedonian
    Country
    Macedonia
    Gender
    Posts
    2,740
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 1,998
    Given: 1,604

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Skerdilaid View Post
    So the Albanian sword dance in other words, interesting.
    Yeah, as I said in my earlier post it's shared with the Albanians and the Romanians.

  10. #10
    Veteran Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Last Online
    10-13-2023 @ 10:59 AM
    Location
    Somewhere
    Meta-Ethnicity
    Slavic
    Ethnicity
    Serbian
    Country
    Australia
    Taxonomy
    Atlanto-Mediterrean
    Religion
    Orthodox Christian
    Gender
    Posts
    3,018
    Thumbs Up
    Received: 735
    Given: 846

    0 Not allowed!

    Default

    ^ can you tell me, what's the difference between Rusalka and Rusalii?

Page 1 of 13 1234511 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Do modern Macedonians have some Ancient Macedonian ancestry?
    By Loki in forum Северна Македонија
    Replies: 1475
    Last Post: 05-17-2020, 09:44 AM
  2. Was ancient Macedonian Greek?
    By Ushtari in forum Linguistics
    Replies: 59
    Last Post: 07-19-2019, 01:06 AM
  3. Revival of ancient Greek traditions
    By Aristoteles in forum Religion & Spirituality
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 09-26-2018, 05:13 PM
  4. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 12-27-2017, 02:44 PM
  5. Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion- Lawson
    By Scholarios in forum The Bookshelf: Articles & Ebooks
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-07-2013, 10:48 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •