Bulgarian Babugeri



Bulgarian Babugeri
Source: For really long website, click here.

So…this is a thing.  Bulgaria is a country very rich in culture and traditions.  Apparently, this is one of them.

When Sam first sent me this picture I almost dismissed it, as I do many of the oddball things he finds on imgur.  I didn’t think it was real.  But the more I studied this, the more fascinated I became.  These are actual people in costumes.  And not just some chintzy costume you order from the Halloween store last minute.  These are serious costumes!  These took some time and effort to construct.  Imagine walking down a dimly lit street and seeing that walking toward you!  Perhaps this is the Bigfoot people claim to be seeing.  Who knows?

These wonderfully, terrifying creatures are known as Bulgarian babugeri.  They are also referred to as mummers, or more commonly, kukeri.  The tradition of the kukeri dates back centuries to pagan rituals of Thracian origins in honor of god Dionysus.  Generally, a ritual performed around the New Year, men dress in kukeri costume, dancing and walking through the village to chase away evil spirits in the hopes of good harvest, health and happiness in the coming year. 


Source: http://www.novinite.com/articles/123847/Go+Away+Evil+Spirits,+the+Kukeri+Said

The costumes vary in their design, but the idea is relatively the same.  The importance is in the symbolism of each mask or costume.  Red is a predominant color to represent the fertility of the land, the sun, and fire.  Black is Mother Earth, and white represents water and light.  Many of the men wear belts of large bells around their waists and carry large sticks or wooden swords to help drive away the evil spirits.  Some of the masks are double-faced, to represent the good and evil in the world.

Source: http://www.novinite.com/articles/123847/Go+Away+Evil+Spirits,+the+Kukeri+Said

Today, this festival (and traditions similar to it), is celebrated across many regions throughout the Balkans and Greece.  It is noisy and funny, filled with joy and laughter, all wishing for blessings to the community in the changing seasons.  After all, who can’t get excited for spring, right?

I love learning new things about our child’s country!  I don’t know when we’ll get our referral, or when our travel dates will be, but I hope to be able to experience some of the cultural traditions Bulgaria has to offer one day!

Random Thoughts

Last spring, Sam and I had to make the decision on where to send Bram for the next nine impressionable years of his life.  The public school, which is literally 4 minutes from our house; or the private school where we attend church, know all the teachers, and where everyone feels like family.  Oh, and happens to be 20 miles away.  Needless to say, we opted for the additional 45-60 minutes onto our already hour-long commute to work.  Nothing says family bonding like being stuck in a car during rush hour traffic.  Since Sam and I work at the same place, we often carpool together.  It makes the commute more bearable when you have a passenger to talk – what?  He’s sleeping!?  (Okay, I’ll admit that I totally take advantage of the extra hour of sleep too, when Sam has to drive.)

Occasionally, we’ll have to drive separately due to after-school or after-work activities.  And it’s during these times, when it’s just Bram in the car that questions start to emerge.  As he’s staring out the window, I’ll often wonder what he’s thinking when he says something like this:

B: “Who do you think would win – a bear or a lion?”

Me: “In what, Scrabble?”

To which I get a look that speaks volumes.




Source: www.alltheragefaces.com

I know full well what he’s asking, but I wouldn't be doing my job as a parent if I didn't slightly annoy my child.

Adoption questions also come up, not only in the car, but also at the sitter’s.  He thinks about the adoption a lot!  What follows are actual statements and questions from the 6-year-old mind.

1. Can my baby brother or sister go to the same school as me?  Please see my previously mentioned commute times.  I’m certainly not going to add additional driving time going from one school to another, let alone different after-school activities that are 20 miles apart.  This is a request I can easily accommodate.  Done.

2. I don’t know what to name my baby brother or sister.  That makes three of us.  And there’s a 99.9% chance that he or she will have a name already.  No, Spike is not an option (actual Bram suggestion).

3. I don’t think having a baby sister would be good because my daddy hurts Mama.  Now hold on before you go calling the authorities.  Thankfully, the woman who’s been watching Bram since he was 2 months old knows our family well.  And anyone who has kids knows that statements like these usually require follow-up questions.  His explanation went something like this: “Daddy tickles and wrestles Mama and she ends up getting hurt a lot.  I think a brother would be better because he’ll be able to wrestle Dad, and I don’t want a baby sister to get hurt.”  Aww, see, he actually had a very thoughtful reason for not wanting a little girl.  Unfortunately, what he doesn’t realize is that I often feign injury when I see that I’m losing the match.  I don’t think I’ve ever won.  I’m a terrible wrestler.

4. If we adopt a sister, I don’t want her to grow up and paint my fingernails while I’m sleeping.  Wait…what?  What would make him think that she’d want to paint his fingernails?  She’s apparently too fragile to wrestle, but she sure is a prankster.  I’m almost tempted to paint his fingernails myself just to see his reaction.

5. Miss Jill, did you know that when I have a little sister you will have to babysit her?  I hope you don’t become a bad babysitter.  To which she asked if she was a bad babysitter now, and was reassured that she was one of the best.  She followed up with, “What would make me a bad babysitter?”  “If you punch my sister in the face.  That’s what bad babysitters do.”  Yikes!

Clearly, Bram has dubbed himself Sole Protector of Potential Little Sister.  This is not a job to be entered into lightly.  I don’t know what brought about this sudden sense of responsibility, considering a year ago he was strongly opposed to having a little sister, but it’s nice to know that she’ll have a big brother to look out for her.  I can only hope he’ll feel the same way if we end up with a little boy.

Thank you for holding. Your approximate wait time is 2-3 years.

Finally.  It's done.

And now we wait.  Again.

This whole process has very much been a lesson in patience.  And just because I have a deadline to meet, doesn't mean that everyone else (cough, cough, government!) shares that deadline.  I had these grandiose plans that once our home study was complete, we'd burn through the rest of the requirements and have our dossier submitted by the end of December.  HA!  What a joke.  Here it's now March and I'm finally able to say that we've submitted our dossier.  (happy little jig here)  Along with a very large chunk of change which couldn't have been even remotely possible had it not been for the extreme generosity of our beloved family and friends, and also the wonderful Adoption Assistance Program at our church.  You guys are truly awesome!
 

So, what happens now, many have asked.  Our dossier is sent to our adoption agency where they will prepare it and make sure all the necessary documentation is in place, which takes approximately 2-3 weeks.  Once that is complete, they send it off to Bulgaria where it is translated and they will review it.  After it's been reviewed and approved, we'll be put on the waiting list.  The last I heard, our wait is approximately 2-3 years, which is actually pretty short considering the other countries we've heard about are in the 5+ range.  This will give us enough time to save up for the next big chunk of change.

So in the meantime, the Schmitz family is going to learn Bulgarian!  Bram was quite excited that he already knew one Bulgarian word.  I, on the other hand, was slightly disappointed.  Apparently Mama in English is Mama in Bulgarian.  (I'm guessing it doesn't translate like Mother does, which I've since learned is “máyka”.)  Meanwhile, Sam gets cool words like “bashtá” or “tatko”.  Or as I've been calling him, Taco. 

Unfortunately for us, there's no Rosetta Stone for learning Bulgarian, and I haven't encountered many Bulgaria 101 classes at the surrounding community colleges.  Surprisingly, Bulgarian-speaking programs don't make it onto the park district itinerary either.  I can't fathom why?  But I have stumbled across an interesting blog, written by a Bulgarian for an English-speaking audience called, Blazing Bulgaria, detailing the various words for relatives, the Bulgarian alphabet, numbers, and common phrases.  The entire blog outlines the culture, history, language, fun facts, etc about Bulgaria.  It's actually fascinating to read, and I highly recommend it for those wanting to learn more about the country.

 

So where do you turn when seemingly all hope is lost?  Amazon, of course!  (I mean, who doesn't, really?)   And this is where we found Intensive Bulgarian Vol. 1: A Textbook and Reference Grammar, complete with Audio Supplement.  Although looking at the alphabet, I don't hold out much hope for myself.  After all, look at the B.  That's right, that's a “v” underneath it.  A “V”!  Look at H and P!  And don't get me started on the numb-, I mean, letter 3.  And to complicate matters more, in Bulgaria when they say “yes”, they shake their heads, and “no” is indicated by nodding!  Great, I'm going to end up agreeing to something that I should be emphatically refusing.

So this is going to be an interesting 2-3 years.  As new developments pop up, I'll be sure to detail them here.  Or if I find something particularly fascinating about the country, I'll share it with you, just to make the time go faster.

I'm immensely relieved to have finished our dossier, which took far longer than expected, but we were warned there'd be bumps along the way. It will be worth it in the end, and before long, this will be a distant memory.  Everyone has been very supportive and we love that you share in our enthusiasm.  We're just one more step closer to welcoming another member into our family!