Sacred Language of the Vlach Bread Illustrated Book and Dictionary in 40 Pictures
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PEDAUNSURLIC SACRED LANGUAGE OF THE VLACH BREAD ILLUSTRATED BOOK AND DICTIONARY IN 40 PICTURES foundation Belgrade 2011 3DXQ(V'XUOLü SACRED LANGUAGE OF THE VLACH BREAD Illustrated book and dictionary in 40 pictures Balkankult Foundation BELGRADE 2011. Bread told me: I am not food for the hungry or a redemption offering, nothing of the kind! I am a living language of Old Gods which Man spoke at a time when he was close to God; when everyone who spoke the language could become God himself! Bread told me this as well: As food, I last but one moment, but as a sign, I last forever, as hope in life eternal! It was then that I understood the words of Jesus Christ: Take it and eat; this is my body! I am the bread of life; if anyone eats of this bread KHZLOOOLYHIRUHYHU7KLVEUHDGLVP\¿HVKZKLFK, will give for the life of world. Take it and eat it; this is my body! )URPDQHWKQRORJLVW¶V¿HOGGLDU\ “Conversations with Vlach bread”) INTRODUCTION 0LQLDWXUHRQWKH9ODFKVRI(DVWHUQ6HUELD ,QWKLVLOOXVWUDWHGERRNZHVRXJKWWRSUHVHQWWRDEURDGHUSXEOLFIRUWKH¿UVWWLPH one aspect of the spiritual culture of the Vlachs of Eastern Serbia, which has survived over centuries in ritual breads and traditions. The most prominent among those is pomana, a ritual for which the Vlachs bake hundreds or even thousands of breads! 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It was from that area that the Slav tribes pushed through to the %DONDQVLQWKHthFHQWXU\YLD(DVWHUQ6HUELDWRSHUPDQHQWO\VHWWOHWKHUH,QWKH DUHDRI5RPDQL]HG7KUDFLDQVZKLFK+HURGRWXVFDOOHG³WKHJUHDWHVWQDWLRQLQWKH ZRUOGDIWHUWKH+LQGXV´D6ODY6WDWHRI%XOJDULDZDVFUHDWHGDQGWKH6ODY6WDWH RI6HUELDWRWKH:HVW7KHERUGHUEHWZHHQWKHWZR6WDWHVVKLIWHGIURPWKH:HVW WRWKH(DVWWREH¿QDOO\VHWLQWKHthFHQWXU\DORQJWKH7LPRN5LYHULQ(DVWHUQ 6HUELD$IWHUWKHIDOORIWKH5RPDQ(PSLUHWKLVSDUWRIWKH%DONDQVZDVXQGHUWKH LQÀXHQFHRIWKH%\]DQWLXPIRUVRPHWLPHDQGLQWKHthFHQWXU\LWZDVFRQTXHUHG E\WKH7XUNVZKLFKVWD\HGWKHUHXQWLOWKHthFHQWXU\,QWKHZDNHRIWKHEUHDNXS RIWKH7XUNLVK(PSLUHQDWLRQDO6WDWHVDVZHNQRZWKHPWRGD\VWDUWHGWRHPHUJH in the Balkans. (YHQWKRXJKIURPSUHKLVWRULFWLPHVWKLVSDUWRI(XURSHKDVH[SHULHQFHGFRQVWDQW changes in ethnic composition whose causes, duration or contours are sometimes GLI¿FXOWWRGHOLQHDWHLWLVFHUWDLQWKDWWKHFXUUHQWHWKQLFSLFWXUHRI(DVWHUQ6HUELD has been the consequence of ethnic, historic, political and economic factors in the HQGRIWKHthDQGHDUO\thFHQWXU\7KHFUXFLDOPRPHQWZDVWKH*UHDW6HUELDQ 0LJUDWLRQOHGE\$UVHQLMHýDUQRMHYLüLQWULJJHUHGE\XQVSHDNDEOHDWURFLWLHV FRPPLWWHGE\WKH7XUNVZKLFKDOPRVWHPSWLHGHUVWZKLOH6HUELD7KHDQFHVWRUVRI WKHSUHVHQWGD\9ODFKVZHUHGLVIUDQFKLVHGSDXSHUVVODYHVYLUWXDOO\RSSUHVVHGE\ ER\DUVLQWKH5RPDQLDQSULQFHGRPV1RUWKWRWKH'DQXEH9ODFKLDDQG0ROGRYD RUXQGHUWKHUXOHRI$XVWULDDQG+XQJDU\LQWKHDUHDRI%DQDWDQG(UGHOM7KHLU SRVLWLRQZDVKDUGO\DQ\EHWWHULQ%HVVDUDELDRU'REUXMD7KLVFODVVRI(XURSHDQ 6 SDXSHUVWKDWVXIIHUHGEH\RQGZRUGVVXSSRUWHGDOORWKHUVRFLDOFODVVHV1RZRQGHU WKHQWKDWKLVWRULFGDWDVSHDNRIWKRXVDQGVRISDXSHUVÀHHLQJWKHVHDUHDVDFURVV WKH'DQXEHWRWKH6RXWKWRWKHDUHDEHWZHHQWKH0RUDYDDQGWKH7LPRNULYHUV HVSHFLDOO\ GXULQJ WKH )DQDULRW UHJLPH ZKLFK ZDV LQ SRZHU LQ WZR 5RPDQLDQ SULQFHGRPVIRUPRUHWKDQDFHQWXU\ 6HUELDLWVHOIZDVVRGHYDVWDWHG GHPRJUDSKLFDOO\ WKDW EHIRUH WKH 3RåDUHYDF 3HDFH7UHDW\ ZDV VLJQHG LW KDGRQO\LQKDELWDQWVLQFOXGLQJ%HOJUDGH LWVODUJHVWYLOODJH%RJDWLüKDG UHVLGHQWV 6XEVHTXHQW FHQVXVHV LQGLFDWH WKDW WKH 1HJRWLQ NUDMLQD KDG VHWWOHPHQWVZLWKIDPLOLHV3RUHþQDKLMDKDGVHWWOHPHQWVZLWKUHVLGHQWV ZKLOH+RPROMHGLVWULFWKDGVHWWOHPHQWVZLWKUHVLGHQWVDQGVRRQ$OWKRXJK WKHVH GDWD DUH ODUJHO\ LQDFFXUDWH DQG GHOLEHUDWHO\ GRFWRUHG ZLWK LQDGHTXDWH FHQVXVPHWKRGVZLWKSRSXODWLRQWKDWHYDGHGWREHUHJLVWHUHGWKH\VWLOOSUHVHQWD UDWKHUJORRP\SLFWXUHRIDVZHHSLQJGHYDVWDWLRQSUHYDLOLQJLQ6HUELDDWWKHWLPH 2FFDVLRQDOWUDYHOHUVGHVFULEHG6HUELDDV³DOPRVWHQWLUHO\FRYHUHGE\IRUHVWV´ 7KHVHWWOHPHQWRIWKH9ODFKVIURPWKH1RUWKZDVLQWHQWLRQDOO\HQFRXUDJHGE\WKH $XVWULDQDXWKRULWLHVLQ7LPLVRDUDDWRQHSRLQWVLQFHWKH\ZHUHJLYHQDSRUWLRQRI &DUSDWKLDQ6HUELDDIWHUWKH3RåDUHYDF3HDFH7UHDW\$FFRUGLQJWRKLVWRULFDOVRXUFHV WKH$XVWULDQDXWKRULWLHVVRXJKWWR³WXUQQHZO\DFTXLUHGVWDWHV6HUELDLQSDUWLFXODU QRWMXVWLQWRDQDGGLWLRQDOUHVRXUFHWRERRVWPLOLWDU\DQG¿QDQFLDOFDSDFLW\RIWKH +DEVEXUJ0RQDUFK\EXWWRFUHDWHWKH6WDWHVZKRVHSRSXODWLRQVDWLV¿HGZLWKQHZ RUGHUDQGUXOHUZRXOGDWWUDFWRWKHU&KULVWLDQVLQ7XUNH\´(VVHQWLDOO\WKHSODQ ZDVWRMXVWLI\WKHFRQTXHVWRIWKH%DONDQVWDWHVE\DQDOOHJHGQHHGWR³LQWURGXFH European culture to the Balkan barbarians”. It is no wonder then that the head of the 7LPLVRDUDDGPLQLVWUDWLRQ&RXQW&ODXGLXVGH0HUF\SHUVRQDOO\WRXUHGWKH%DQDW 9ODFKVZKLFKWKH$GPLQLVWUDWLRQUHVHWWOHGWR6HUELDLQDQGRYHUVDZ WKHLUVHWWOHPHQWEHWZHHQWKH7LPRNDQG.XþDMQDULYHUVDQGHQFRXUDJHGWKHPWR DOVRHQWLFHWKHLUUHODWLYHVWRFRPHRYHUIURP%DQDW(QFRXUDJHGE\WKHVHSROLFLHV WKH6HUEVIURPWKH6RXWKLQ7XUNLVKRFFXSLHGWHUULWRULHVVWDUWHGWRVHWWOHWKHUHLQ ZDYHV7KHPRVWLPSRUWDQWRQHZDVLQOHGE\6HUESDWULDUFK$UVHQLMH,9 7KHVDPH$XVWULDQDXWKRULWLHVSHUVRQL¿HGE\)LHOG0DUVKDO)ULHGULFK+HLQGULFK accepted new Serbian immigrants and allowed them to settle in the area of Crna 5HNDXQGHULWVDXWKRULW\([FHSWIRUMXVWL¿HGLQWHUQDOUHVHWWOHPHQWVLQWHUFKDQJH DQGPL[LQJEHWZHHQSRSXODWLRQVWKHUHZHUHQRVLJQL¿FDQWHWKQLFWXUEXOHQFHVWKHUH save occasional uprisings, rebellions and liberation wars which the Vlachs and WKH6HUEVIRXJKWVLGHE\VLGH:LWKWKHULVHRI5RPDQLDQQDWLRQDOVHQWLPHQWLQWKH WHUULWRU\RIWKHSUHVHQWGD\5RPDQLDLQWKHthDQGWKHthFHQWXU\RXU9ODFKV ZHUHQRORQJHUWKHUH,WZDVFUXFLDOO\LPSRUWDQWWKDWWKHVHGLVIUDQFKLVHGER\DU VXEMHFWVIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHJRWWKHLUODQGLQWKH&DUSDWKLDQSDUWRI6HUELDWKH\ZHUH DEOHWRWDNHDVPXFKODQGDVWKH\ZDQWHG7KH\WXUQHGWKLVZDVWHODQGFRYHUHGE\ ZHHGVDQGEXVKHVLQWRDUDEOHODQGRIWKHLURZQDQGUHPDLQHGWKHUHXQWLOWRGD\ 7KHUHZDVQRQHHGWRJREDFNWRKHDUWOHVVER\DUVDQGUXWKOHVVFRNR\VLQGHHGRU thought. Rich and colorful Vlach oral traditions make no mention of nostalgia for WKHROGKRPHODQGH[FHSWLQUDUHO\ULFSRHPVFXUVLQJWKH'DQXEHULYHUIRUKDYLQJ 7 separated a brother and sister or sweethearts. Neither the Romanian princedoms, preoccupied with their own domestic problems paid much attention to the escaped SDXSHUV H[FHSW ZKHQ VR PDQ\ OHIW WKDW WKH\ UHPDLQHG DOPRVW HPSW\ OLNH IRU H[DPSOH LQ ZKHQ DFFRUGLQJ WR 5RPDQLDQ KLVWRULFDO VRXUFHV LQ WKH ZDNH RIWKHRXWUDJHRXV¿VFDOH[SORLWDWLRQRIWKH)DQDULRWUHJLPH³PRUHWKDQ SDXSHUVHPLJUDWHGWRWKHVRXWKRIWKH'DQXEH0DQ\RIWKHPKLGWKURXJKRXWWKH WHUULWRU\DQGWKXVMHRSDUGL]HGWKHLQFRPHWRWKH7UHDVXU\DQGWKH3RUWD´3DXSHUV ZHUHSHUFHLYHGDVDQHFRQRPLFFRPPRGLW\ZKLFKDOOIHXGDO6WDWHVZDQWHGWRSXW