When New Year and Christmas was behind, fireworks and crackers died out, plentiful fun feasts ended, and the "long" holidays finally came to an end, there was still another strange holiday ahead, for the "snack" - Old New Year. Many Russians, even not knowing what its essence is, do not forget to celebrate it - in order to extend their holidays. The history and traditions of the Old New Year were studied by the correspondent.
There is no doubt that the agreement will receive serious support from the Bulgarian side if it is on the agenda and presented in plenary. But it is obvious that Skopje’s signal will be expected that the parliamentary relationship in their statement is such that the treaty will go smoothly and will give a new direction and new dynamics to our bilateral ties. What were the expectations when it was signed four and a half months ago.
Once ratification has passed, a three-month time period during which a multidisciplinary multidisciplinary commission should be formed to discuss history and education. Come, the time has come when so many people in Bulgaria and on the other side of Vardar are waiting to be turned on.
History with calendars
Julius Caesar, seized power in ancient Rome, in 45 BC. e. for ease of control of his power introduced new calendar. An ambitious and military genius, relying on the most perfect administrative and military system in his time, he could not even imagine that a few centuries would pass - and the “eternal” Roman Empire will go down in history, and its chronological system, developed by scientists - Alexandrian astronomers led by with sage Sozigen, every 128 years he will accumulate an extra day and will eventually become obsolete.
As they say, human excitement. Some of them even borrowed elements of our ritual, such as Roma, who have lived on Bulgarian lands for centuries. The biggest celebration of gypsies of all faiths is Vasilitsa. According to julian calendarIt falls on January 14th.
Then the gypsies worship the patron saint Saint Basil. One legend says that St. Basil saved a gypsy family from drowning in the Red Sea. The gypsies were loaded by Egyptian soldiers on a ship and sent to the raging sea. The purpose of the pharaoh was to drown and end up in their family. But the sea swallowed the ship, the saint spared the gypsies and decided to help them. He sent a herd that approached the stream, and they climbed on their backs, and they all reached the opposite bank.
The Julian calendar owes much of its fall to the triumph of Christianity. By the sixteenth century, pious Catholic astronomers became convinced that the feast of the Nativity of Christ, which initially coincided with the day of the winter solstice, began to shift more and more toward spring. As a result, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII, who became famous not only for the brutal persecution of Protestants, but also for his scholarship, ordered the introduction of a more accurate calendar, named after him - Gregorian.
According to another legend, the Hajovs once pursued a gypsy and wanted to hang him, but a shepherd named Vasil hid him. The shepherd is limping, so the rum called him "bango" - curvature. Another time, it saved and drowned a gypsy child. In gratitude to the savior, the gypsies set off on the day they were told.
Thus, the Banjo Vassili holiday is one of the largest holidays celebrated by all Roma groups in Bulgaria. It is commonly known as the Roman New Year with a ritual similar to Christian Christmas. Kaldarashi and Rudari are celebrated more modestly, while in Jerley and especially in Burgundy and Drandars this is also a holiday commensurate with St. George's Day. As we look forward to Santa Claus, the gypsies await the visit of Bango Vasil, but only after midnight, because until then the doors of the houses were traditionally locked to avoid good luck.
The spiritual flock of the Roman Catholic Church quickly accepted the innovation. Protestant Europe resisted for a long time, but mainly because of the spirit of contradiction to the papal throne - the convenience of a new calendar was also recognized there. The longest conservative British and Swedes lasted until 1752, but in the end they also surrendered.
No wonder the Russian Empire was proud of the title of the Third Rome - it was faithful to the Roman Julian calendar to the end. However, after the October Revolution, the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 26, 1918 unified the system of chronology in Russia with the whole world. Only the Russian Orthodox Church, not obeying the godless Bolsheviks who had excommunicated it from the state, remained faithful to the Julian calendar. So the Russian phenomenon of the New Year holidays arose - Christmas after the New Year and the tradition of celebrating the Old New Year from January 13 to 14, that is, according to the “old style”, as an integral part of our New Year saga.
Preparation for a family holiday begins early, and young people clean the house. For the gypsy New Year, there should be a cooked bird at the table - a goose, a turkey or a rooster. Prepare a typically stuffed turkey or stewed potato rooster. Perennials and sour cabbage are required. But the cook must be silent when cooking, so that during the year there is no harm to the house. There are also three rounds of carnage - one for God, one for Bango Vasil, and a third for the house. Sarmi, a bunch of good luck, fish and salads.
Old New Year
On New Year's Eve, from January 13 to January 14, candles are lit and the table on the floor is full old tradition live charcoal and flour placed on the tiles. Drinks are plentiful, while young people want forgiveness from older people. There is no singing during the holiday. In the morning, it is believed that Bango Vassil comes to every house, since the role is played by the head of the family or his chosen friend to bless the house and home for health, luck and a bracelet.
Vasiliev day
The Old New Year holiday owes its appearance both to the indestructible habit of Soviet citizens to find an occasion to celebrate something with a fun feast, and to folk ritual and religious traditions related, in particular, to the church holiday - Vasily the Great's Day, on January 14 of the old style. It is no secret that in Russian folk customs, especially peasant ones, Christian rites are inextricably and organically intertwined with pre-Christian heritage.
Other holidays that are celebrated on this day in the Russian Federation
Then the little ones fetter the big ones for health, and the boys go home. It is imperative that children are sprayed into every household millet, sunflower, wheat or corn, which is the desire for a good and rich year. On this day, farmers are the most generous and victims of children with apples, walnuts and money.
In January of this year, a group of singers in New York's female villages went through a village song. Residents of the village celebrate the beginning of the New Year twice. January and according to the Julian calendar since January. In houses where residents showed interest, then poets and a housewife spoke. In addition to traditional, Ukrainian, also Czech Christmas and wishes in Czech.
The Christian saint of the late Roman era, religious philosopher and writer, Archbishop Vasily of Caesarea was called by the Russian peasant Vasily Solnovorot, which is associated with the winter solstice, and Basil the pig-breeder - the patron saint of pig farming. Vasily’s day falls at the end of a strict Christmas fast (November 28 - January 6), during which believers refrain from New Year's festivities.
Everyone enjoyed the look and looked forward to the next. Last year, Czech was spoken only in the houses where Czech families live, and this year in general. Multicultural concert in St. Petersburg Archangel Michael. January in the Cathedral of St. John. Archangel Michael held a multicultural concert.
On St. Basil’s Day, the New Year arrives, according to the Julian calendar, commonly called the “Old New Year”. After the performance, the children were ready to taste Ukrainian dishes in the adjacent dining room. The table was Kutia, a delicious poppy seed dessert, wheat, candied fruit, honey and nuts, pancakes and cookies.
The day of veneration of St. Basil fits into Christmas Christmas time - 12 merry days between Christmas and the Baptism of the Lord, when it is not forbidden to rejoice and have fun, as well as talk at the festive table. Therefore, on this day, as a tribute to Vasily the pig, the decoration of the meal as usual was a baked pork head, a fried pig or other pork dishes, and in the houses it is worse - cookies in the form of pigs or other livestock.
Then everyone gathered in front of the temple to remember the inhabitants of Zhytomyr who sacrificed their lives in the Donbass war. To date, more than 10,000 soldiers and civilians have died in this war. Lighted candles were built under the photograph of the victims, and in a moment of silence they remembered the memory of young lives.
The parade of karalons was held on Korolev Square during the singing of Ukrainian carols, where all the participating children sang the most famous Ukrainian play, "Good evening toys." On the last day of the old year, according to the old Polish cuisine, everyone tried to get up early in the morning, eat well and have a good day without arguing with others. And all because, as tradition preaches, what will be the last day of the old year, this is a whole year.
But an interesting folk rite among the Slavs - sowing or sowing, performed in the Orthodox countries on January 13-14, has clearly pre-Christian roots and is confined to the winter solstice, when the sun "turns to spring" and means appeasing the future sowing and harvest. Hence the other, common name of Vasiliev’s Day in Russian peasant life - Ovsen, as well as Busen and Tausen in Ukraine and Belarus.
The custom to celebrate and start the New Year on the first day of January introduced Julius Caesar in his calendar reform. The Romans worshiped Janus that day - God, the patron saint of the gates, doors and all good undertakings. In Polish, on the other hand, it is assumed that the name of the first month of the year - January - refers to the word “contact” because it contains the old and new year.
Interestingly, the change in the calendar year was pompously noted in ancient Egypt. At that time, the eve was marked at the end of September, when he poured the Nile. People sang, played trumpets, tambourines, drums and approached the pharaoh in the parade. Previously, the Romans celebrated the arrival of the New Year on March 1.
The ceremonies of grain growers are associated with the cult of grain as a guarantee of well-being and survival of the peasant community. Today, they are primarily preserved by the reenactors of folk traditions, but a hundred years ago they were honored in every large patriarchal peasant family from the Bug and the Carpathians to Siberia. The festival was opened by children, a symbol of spring and procreation, who went home and “sowed” grain from a sleeve or from a bag with the adage: “For good luck, good health, a new summer, give birth, God, live, wheat and all arable land”. The mistress of the house - “Bolshuha” - then collected this grain in the apron, and it was they who opened the spring sowing.
In old Poland, New Year's Eve was considered a day of spells and magic, and gifts were given on that day. One of the prejudices to this day is that the first person who enters the house on New Year's Eve should be the person who will best tell their family members. Other New Year and New Year superstitions also believed. These include, but are not limited to, the superstition that New Year’s Eve should not be cleared, because it can cause “bloating” of happiness from home. It is also worth taking care of a complete refrigerator, thanks to which we will frighten away hunger and poverty.
From the evening of January 13, in a new style, festive cereal was put in the house, usually buckwheat, which was not only a treat for the festive table, but also a means of divination for the future harvest and well-being of the house. Dressing in clean elegant shirts and praying, the senior man and the oldest woman in the family went to work. He brought water, she took out grain or groats from the barn, melted the stove and made porridge with the corresponding sentences and melodies. The younger members of the family watched the ritual in reverential silence so as not to scare away Zhitsen, the pagan ancient Slavic spirit of life, the patron of grain growers, from the house.
Church about Old New Year
In Chinese culture, the New Year is celebrated in late January and late February, and it is the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar tradition. This ceremony is called by the Chinese people the Darkmoon Festival or the Spring Festival because its date is set by the lunar calendar. This is a special and joyful time in China, and at the same time the most important holiday of the year. The first 3 days of the Chinese New Year are non-working days.
On New Year's Eve, entire families meet in their circle. An important part of the New Year holidays is the joint preparation of Chinese dumplings called jiozi. It is popular to hide some coins in dumplings. Anyone who goes for a happy coin treat, this, according to the Chinese tradition of the middle, is likely to bring great luck in the New Year. The Chinese adhere to many customs associated with the arrival of the New Year. Painting windows and doors in red is an integral part of preparing for the celebration.
When the "magic" brew rattled, he was hoisted on the table and carefully examined. If porridge “escaped” - wait for trouble “over the edge”. A cracked pot did not bode well. If the grain is harsh - the economy is at the very least, but it will last. In the case of a negative prognosis, the porridge was thrown into the river. And if the porridge is a success, the harvest will be good, the family will prosper, and the treats can be served at home.
Traditions for the Old New Year
Chinese tradition says that red attracts happiness and drives away all evil. Around the house you can also hang paper rolls and diamonds on which we can find wishes for happiness, health and wealth. They were usually hanged upside down, which symbolizes the inevitable emergence of desires written on them.
Krzysztof Plonka is a parish priest in Moldova. Why did the priest election fall on Moldova? Until recently, the official name of this country is the Republic of Moldova. You can come here as an identity card. The official language is Romanian, although some citizens insist that they are Moldovans, and the vast majority also speak Russian. Also in the Church, the Russian language is almost an “official language”. Moldovans also do not have a unique national identity. Some of them are declared Romanians, others are Russian, and others are Bulgarians, Gagauz, Ukrainians or Poles.
Caroling and Shedding
Carols
In the evening, on Vasilyev’s Day, young people went to the caroling village. Since the original meaning of this holiday was a spell of generous harvest, it was also called - to be generous. The Ukrainians and Belarusians this evening got the name Generous.
My choice of Moldova as a country of pastoral activity is primarily practical. This is a European country, so the climate is similar and not too far from home. In addition, a priest from the Catholic Archbishopric was here, so Bishop Anton Kosha asked for the continuation of this ministry. What can you say about the Catholic Church in Moldova?
Traditions in modern times
The Catholic Church is so small that it is almost invisible. It is difficult to say how many Catholics still live in Moldova, and how many are left only on paper. Nevertheless, new parishes or pastoral centers have been created here! There are people who would like to get acquainted with the Catholic denominations and practice them, but they do not have such an opportunity because of their age or long distances to the nearest parish. Then a pastoral point arises, and if the community develops, then the parish also.
Some scholars of folklorists find the refreshes of “Vasiliev's bounties” even more diverse than those of Christmas carols, and they see echoes of pagan ritual chants in this. However, the Christian patron of this day, Saint Basil, is not forgotten in them: “Give a pig and a hog for Vasiliev’s evening.”
The owner had to bestow the throaty midnight singers as plentifully as possible with refreshments and small money, not only so that they would quickly get out to yell to the neighbors, but also the good fortune in the field work and harvesting would not turn his back on him. There is a march on Vasily’s Day and a march with the mummers, which in many regions is specific. Pan-Slavic mummers - “goat”, “wolf”, “tour”, “bear” - are accompanied, for example, in some regions of Belarus by a beautiful elegant girl - Generous, and in Ukraine - Vasil and Malanka.
Currently, there is one diocese of Kyziniuva throughout the country, consisting of 20 parishes and several pastoral centers. What are the most important pastoral problems? The most important task is the secularization of society. The vast majority of residents declare themselves to be Orthodox, but the practice of religion is insignificant. Most often it comes down to baptism, the sacrifice of the Easter basket and various religious rituals associated with the funeral. This does not mean, however, that people have lost their sense of faith.
Here the so-called grandmothers or village earthquakes, fortunetellers are popular, belief in charms, etc. Christianity is also viewed objectively. Often the only reason a child is baptized is the fear that he or she will not be sick or that they will not be brought to him. The sign of the cross is not a profession of faith, but a defense against adversity. Another issue is Christian ethics. Divorce or only civil marriage is everyday life, and abortion is a simple procedure, free after another child.
At night, on the New Year’s Eve, fortunetelling is also made of the girls divining on the narrowed - on nutshells, on scallops, on coals, on pies, etc., although this custom applies to the entire period of Christmas time.
The tradition of “generosity” and harvest spells on New Year’s Eve exists among all Slavic and most European peoples in various forms. At the same time, among Catholics and Protestants, as well as in some foreign Orthodox, it is tied to the Gregorian calendar.
Old New Year in other countries
Winter Belgrade
In addition to the Russian Orthodox Church, a number of local churches - the Jerusalem, Georgian and Serbian Orthodox churches, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, several ancient Eastern churches, including Ethiopian, etc., remain faithful to the Julian system of chronology. The traditions of celebrating the Old New Year and St. Basil on January 13-14, preserved in a number of countries, are associated with this.
Serbs even call the Old New Year Serbian (Srpska Nova Godina). By the way, despite the historical popularity of pig farming in Serbia, Vasiliev Day among Serb peasants is considered a “professional” holiday not of swineherds, but of cheese makers. The holiday is also accompanied by a procession of mummers - young guys depicting a comic wedding procession. In some parts of the country, it is customary for Vasily the Great to bring a “bad tree” into the house — an intricately decorated bouquet of oak branches or just an oak log, which is harvested for Christmas and burned on Christmas Eve in a hearth or on a fire.
Of course, such lovers have a tasty meal, like Serbs, Vasilyev Day is not complete without a culinary “specialty”. On the table are served “basilitsi” - delicious corn pies with kaymak - thick curd cream, as well as “in pairs” - a dish of corn bread, filled with hot milk with the addition of feta cheese, butter and olives.
The Old New Year is also celebrated in Macedonia and occasionally in Bulgaria, but there it is rather a custom adopted from the Russians in the era of socialism. In addition, in Western Europe on the night of January 13-14, not only people from the former USSR sit down to celebrate. Residents of the Swiss semi-canton of Appenzell-Inneroden, severe Protestant highlanders, also did not accept the calendar reform of Pope Gregory in the 16th century and defended their right to celebrate the New Year according to the Julian calendar.
Mikhail Kozhemyakin
The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year is connected with the divergence of two calendars: Julian - the calendar of the "old style" and Gregorian - the calendar of the "new style", according to which modern people live. This discrepancy in the XX-XXI centuries is 13 days, and the New Year in the old style is celebrated on the night of January 13-14.
From March 1, 2100, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars will be 14 days. Since 2101, the Old New Year will be celebrated a day later.
Almost all of the Protestant states of Europe switched to Gregorian reckoning in the XVIII century, removing the extra few days from the calendar. Russia, however, switched to the new calendar only in 1918 by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of January 26, 1918, after January 31, 1918, it immediately arrived on February 14.
As a result of the transition to a new reckoning, the date of the beginning of the New Year has changed. January 1 according to the new style falls on December 19 according to the Julian calendar, and January 14 according to the new style is January 1 according to the Julian calendar.
The Russian Orthodox Church continues to celebrate all church holidays according to the Julian calendar: both the Circumcision of the Lord (until 1918, coinciding with the civil New Year), and Christmas. The modern New Year falls on the Christmas post - the Orthodox forty-day post in honor of Christmas. According to the old style, everything went on as usual - the Christmas Lent preceded the feast of the Nativity of Christ, after which, after six days, people celebrated the New Year.
Therefore, the New Year in the old style is important for Orthodox believers living in countries where the church continues to use the Julian calendar.
In Russia, until 1918, the coming of the New Year fell on the period of Christmas time, so all the New Year’s folk signs are more applicable to the Old New Year. People believed that if on the morning of New Year's Day the first woman to enter the house, then this will inevitably bring misfortune, if a man is happiness. If there is money in the house on New Year's Day, you will not need it all year, but only on condition that you do not lend to anyone. In addition, the following signs were known: “If the first day of the year is cheerful (happy), then the year will be such”; "Snow or fog falling on New Year portends a harvest"; "The full ice hole and fog on New Year portend a great spill"; "If there is a wind on New Year, to the harvest of nuts"; "New Year - a turn to spring"; "New Year - sledding on the move"; "New Year is picking up the first hour of the day."
In addition, on January 14 (January 1 according to the old style) in the old days it bore the name of Vasilyev Day - a celebration in memory of St. Basil the Great of Caesarea - and was crucial for the whole year.
On this day, it was customary to conduct all kinds of fortune-telling and ancient rites. The evening before (now January 13) was called Vasilyev evening. Especially unmarried girls were waiting for him, who at that time readily guessed. They believed that what you guess on Vasiliev’s day would certainly come true.
St. Basil was considered a “pig house” - the patron saint of pig farmers and pork products, and they believed that if there was a lot of pork on the table the night before Vasiliev’s day, these animals would breed in abundance and bring good profit to the owners.
Therefore, the main holiday dish on Vasiliev’s day was a piglet, which was roasted whole, and a hare and a rooster were also cooked. According to legend, roast piglet provides well-being for the coming year; the hare’s meat was eaten to be agile like a hare, and the rooster to be light as a bird.
The house-going rite was interesting in order to enjoy pork dishes. On the night of Vasily, guests should definitely be fed pies with pork, boiled or baked pork legs and generally any dishes that include pork. A pork head was also placed on the table.
There was still a custom on Vasily’s day with special ceremonies to cook porridge. On New Year's Eve, at 2 o’clock, the eldest of the women brought cereal from the barn (usually buckwheat), and the older man brought water from a well or river. It was impossible to touch the groats and water until the stove was hot, they just stood on the table. Then everyone sat down at the table, and the eldest of the women began to stir the porridge in the pot, pronouncing certain ritual words.
Then everyone got up from the table, and the mistress put the porridge in the oven - with a bow. Ready porridge was taken out of the oven and carefully examined. If the pot was just full, and the porridge rich and crumbly, then you could expect a happy year and a rich harvest - the next morning they ate such porridge. If the porridge got out of the pot, or it was small and white, and the pot cracked, this did not bode well for the owners of the house, and then disasters were expected, and the porridge was thrown out.
In the old days, on Vasiliev Day, peasants went home with congratulations and wishes for well-being. At the same time, an ancient rite was performed, known by different names: avsen, oats, autumn, etc. Its essence was that the children of the peasants, gathered together before the mass, went home to sow oats, buckwheat, rye and other loaves and at the same time sang a sowing song.
The owners of the house gave the scribbler something as a gift, and the grains scattered by him were carefully collected, stored until spring, and when spring crops were sown, they were mixed with other seeds.
There is still a tradition in Russia on the night of the Old New Year to sculpt and cook dumplings, some of which are with surprises. In each locality (even in every family), the meaning of surprises may vary.
According to signs, if the night before Vasiliev’s day the sky is clear and starry, then there will be a rich harvest of berries. According to popular beliefs Basil the Great protects gardens from worms and pests. In the morning of the Old New Year, you need to go through the garden with the words of an ancient conspiracy: "As I (name) belpushist shake the snow, so does St. Basil!"
Some regions of Russia have their own traditions of celebrating the Old New Year. For example, in Yalga, a suburban village of Saransk (Mordovia), residents gather around a New Year’s bonfire, dance, and with old things burn all the troubles that have accumulated over the year. They also entered into the tradition of comic fortune-telling with an old boot or felt boots. Yalgins stand in a circle and pass each other a "magic shoe", in which there are notes with good wishes. They believe that a note drawn from a boot will surely bring good luck.
The tradition of celebrating the Old New Year has been preserved not only in Russia, but also in the former Soviet republics. In Belarus and Ukraine, the evening before January 14 is called “generous”, since it is customary to cook “generous kuti” - a rich table after the Christmas fast. Celebrate the Old New Year and Georgia, and Abkhazia.
In Abkhazia, January 13 is officially listed as Azhyrnykhua or Hatchhuama - the Day of Creation, renewal. He is festive and non-working. The festival of renewal or creation of the world takes its beginning in the pagan past of the country and is associated with the veneration of the deity Shashva - the patron saint of blacksmiths. Traditionally, roosters and goats are sacrificed to Shashva on this day. The holiday gathers under the shelter of the family sanctuary - the "forge" - all paternal relatives. Representatives of other families - wives and daughter-in-law remain at home.
They celebrate the Old New Year in some other countries.
The former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia) also celebrates the Old New Year on the night of January 13-14, as the Serbian Orthodox Church, like the Russian one, continues to live according to the Julian calendar.
Serbs call this holiday "Serbian New Year" or Little Christmas. Sometimes the Serbs on this day bring "bad man" into the house - one of two logs that they prepared on Christmas Eve for Christmas and Little Christmas.
In Montenegro, it is customary to call this holiday "The Rights of Nova Godina", which means "the right New Year."
Basilits are prepared for the Old New Year: round pies from corn dough with kaymak - cream, curdled like cheese. Sometimes they cook another dish from corn dough - a pair of steaks.
On the night of January 14, they gather at the festive table to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in Greece. This Greek holiday is called St. Basil's Day, known for its kindness. In anticipation of this saint, Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplaces so that St. Basil puts gifts in them.
In Romania, the Old New Year is celebrated more often in a narrow circle of families, less often with friends. For the festive table, New Year's cakes are made with surprises: coins, porcelain figurines, rings, hot peppers. The ring found in the pie promises great luck.
The Old New Year is also celebrated in the north-east of Switzerland in some German-speaking cantons. The inhabitants of the canton of Appenzel in the XVI century did not accept the reform of Pope Gregory and still celebrate the holiday on the night of January 13-14. January 13, they celebrate the old day of St. Sylvester, who, according to legend, in 314 caught a terrible monster.
It was believed that in 1000 the monster would break free and destroy the world, but this did not happen. Since then, on New Year's Day, residents of Switzerland dress up in fancy dresses, put on fancy constructions resembling doll houses or botanical gardens and call themselves Sylvester Claus. Walking through the streets, local residents make noise and scream, thereby expelling evil spirits and inviting good spirits.
In addition, New Year's Eve is celebrated in the small Welsh community in Wales in western Britain. January 13th, they celebrate Hyun Galan. There are no fireworks or champagne on this day. "Hyun Galan" is met according to the traditions of the ancestors by songs, carols and local home-made beer.
Since 1752 in the United Kingdom acts gregorian calendarwhere New Year comes on January 1st. But a small community of Welsh farmers with a center in a village called the Guine Valley celebrates the New Year on the Julian calendar, and unlike the whole country, it is January 13th that is their official day off.
The reason why the Guine Valley and its surrounding farms has lagged behind is now unknown. Some say that it was the will of a local feudal lord opposed the Catholic Church. Others believe that this was the will of the whole community, which decided to defend its traditional way.
The holiday begins with children. From early morning they carol all over the valley, collecting gifts and money. For adults, the fun comes in the late afternoon. The whole village and nearby farms gather at a local pub. Outsiders are not allowed. In an ancient pub, one of the few in the UK, where beer is brewed and immediately poured into jugs, except beer, nothing is served. Locals bring food with them. In the pub, to the accompaniment of harmony, people sing songs in Welsh that were performed by their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
For locals, "Hyun Galan" is a celebration of good neighborliness and "open doors" - but open to their own. According to legend, in ancient times, the inhabitants of the valley went on a round dance with songs from house to house.