24/04/2021
LAZAROUVANE or LAZARITSA is a beautiful and joyous girls' spring fertility rite that takes place on St Lazarus Day (Lazarovden) on the Saturday 8 days before Orthodox Easter. Although nominally a Christian festival, the ritual has ancient pagan roots and celebrates youth, the return of spring and fertile nature. The tradition is still very much alive in Bulgaria.
It is carried out by girls who are coming of age. They are called lazarki and wear full adult costume and special headdresses adorned with flowers or feathers. They go from house to house, dancing and singing special ritual songs for each family member to bring them love, marriage and happiness and to welcome the return of spring and fertility to the earth. There are special songs for going through fields and by rivers, and in some areas the lazarki sing in honour of the family’s bees. The lazarki songs and dances are like magic spells to make the blessings come true.
In the past it was believed that girls of marriageable age who did not participate in the ritual were not ready to marry and were liable to be carried off by a dragon. Dragons are very active at this time of year! In some areas younger lazarki also go round the houses but with a more limited repertoire.
Here are some photos, old and new, of the beautiful lazarki maidens.
