Paper short abstract:

The object of this report is to compare calendar customs of Vlachs (Romanians) from Eastern Serbia and North-Western Bulgaria with Romanian, Serbian and Bulgarian calendar customs. This report is based on the information reflected in Vlach villages of Bor district (Serbia) and Vidin district (Bulgaria).

Paper long abstract:

The object of this report is to descript calendar customs of Vlachs (Romanians) from Eastern Serbia and North-Western Bulgaria and to compare it with Romanian, Serbian and Bulgarian calendar customs. This report is based on the information reflected in Vlach villages of Bor district (Serbia) and Vidin district (Bulgaria). A great deal of the article's data was collected by author during field research in Vlach villages in Eastern Serbia such as Bukovče, Kobišnica, Raduevac (municipality of Negotin), Šipikovo (municipality of Zaečar) and Grabovica (municipality of Kladovo) in 2013-2014 years. Some data were collected in the town of Bregovo (Vidin district, North-Western Bulgaria) in 2005 and 2012 years.

The complex of the customs, connected with the Christmas log, is typical for Vlachs from Eastern Serbia and North-Western Bulgaria but it is not very common in present for Romanians from Romania. The existence of this complex of the customs in present is probably connected with Serbian and Bulgarian influence. There are other customs that appeared, changed or, on the contrary, was saved due to Serbian and Bulgarian influence. There are, for example, the custom to organize races in St. Theodor's day in Bregovo, Kosovo and any other villages of Vidin district (this custom is typical for Bulgarians); the tradition to celebrate "house holiday" [práznicu cắşii] during three days due to Serbian "slava" (Romanians from Oltenia and Muntenia cerebrates this holiday during one day); custom to wear the "march thread" [mărţişor, martenitsa] which exist in Romanian villages in Bulgarian part and do not exist in Serbian part of Timok valley etc.