Празници и празнуване в Самоков във времето на социализма в спомените на съвременниците
Feasts and Celebration in the Town of Samokov in the Socialist Period in the Memory of Contemporaries

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the local festive system of Samokov in the socialist period. Theobservations and conclusions are based on oral biographical stories collected duringethnological field researches in the town of Samokov conducted in 2011–2015 bythe “Ongal“ Association of Anthropology, Ethnology and Folklore Studies using themethod of oral history.The study examines the official and traditional calendar and family rites andpresents some specific forms of socialist festivities – manifestation, solemn meeting,banquet, literary-musical programme, treat in an intimate circle, as well as festiveforms deriving from traditional feasts.Some typical cultural practices understood and referred to as markers of localidentity in Samokov are outlined: throwing sweet loafs from Rido on the Annunciation, visiting in midnight on Easter the cemetery with a red Easter egg and an Eastercake, the post-wedding custom of “Topenitsa“, the Whitsuntide fair known as Štipimarket, as well as the Samokov leek pasty (samokovski zelnik) and mulled brandy(greyana rakiya).The retrospective look at the Samokov feasts shows that the forms of celebrationare not steady. The dynamic of the processes of change in the urban festivity affectsalso the shift of the places of memory in the town.

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