Queen – We Are The Champions

Песните са хубави примери за граматика, защото са лесни за запомняне.  Опитайте с тази песен.

I’ve paid my dues –

Платил съм си таксите

Виж как те изполват перфектното време за звършено действие.  Действието не е важно, а резултът.

Time after time –

Много пъти

Коледуването is when коледари (koledari, or carolers) come to your house and sing коледарски песни (koledarski pesni, or caroling songs) to you.   Коледари are always men (and traditionally, unmarried men).  They wear costumes that make them look more like shepherds and less like the creepy teenagers they are.

Keep these away from your daughters.

In the past, коледуването was a good way for young men to go into the houses of their neighbors and meet young ladies, and even today, it’s considered lucky for a male guest to visit your family on Christmas.  The good luck is mostly his.

Because of course, коледарите expect food as well as girlfriends.  When they are done singing at your house, you’re supposed to give them a bagel-shaped ring of bread called a кравай (kravai).  The коледар puts the кравай on his гега (gega, or shepard’s crook) and walks with his buddies to the next house.

These ones are cuter.

So the tradition is a lot like wassailing or caroling, complete with songs that drop unsubtle hints about what they want.  The following is one such song, as well as a transation, so everyone can appreciate коледарите.

Коледарска Песен (click here to listen to the song)

A Caroler Song

Малка мома двори мете

A little girl sweeps the yard

ой Коледо мой Коледо

Oh Christmas, my Christmas

двори мете столи реди

She sweeps the yard and arranges the chairs

ой Коледо мой Коледо

Oh Christmas, my Christmas

Надяава се малка мома

She hopes, the little girl…

ой Коледо мой Коледо

Oh Christmas, my Christmas

да и дойда добри гости

That good guests will come to her

ой Коледо мой Коледо

Oh Christmas, my Christmas

добри гости коледари

Good guests, Koledari

ой Коледо мой Коледо

Oh Christmas, my Christmas

So who’s interested in this word, Коледа?  I know I am. It’s an important word this time of year, and also a good example of one way you can switch verbs, nouns, and adjectives around in Bulgarian.  Read on, if you’re interested.

The noun

коледа (koleda, Christmas)

коледата (koledata, the Christmas)

коледо (koledo, oh Christmas!) (this is the remnant of the vocative case of Old Church Slavonic)

The adjective

коледен подарък (koleden podaryk, a Christmas present)(for masculine nouns)

коледна храна (koledna khrana, Christmas food)(feminine)

коледно нещо (koledno neshto, a Christmas-y thing)(neuter)

The verb

коледувам (koleduvam, to sing Christmas songs)(a third-conjugation verb)

аз коледувам (Az koleduvam, I carol)

ти коледуваш (Ti koleduvash, you carol)

тои/тя/то коледува (Toi/Tya/To koleduva, he/she/it carols)

ние коледуваме (Nie koleduvame, we carol)

вие коледувате (Vie koleduvate, you all carol)

те коледуват (Te koleduvat, they carol)

The gerund

коледуване (koleduvane, caroling)

коледуването (koleduvaneto, the caroling)

The person

коледар (koledar, a caroler)

коледарят (koledaryat, the caroler)

коледари (koledari, carolers)

коледарите (koledarite, the carolers)

The adjective

коледарска песен (koledarska pesen, a caroler song)

That’s all the blogs for a few weeks.  Весела Коледа, и честита Нова Година (Vesela Koleda i chestita nova godina)!