Raif Esmerović
BOSNIAN FOLK CALENDAR
The Bosnian national (agricultural) calendar spans back to the old era. The
water in fear of catching a cold.
maker of the calendar is unknown. It is known that it was created and used by a farmer. Some dates from the Julian January: the folk call January the longest moth in the year. From January 17th the
calendar, which was created 45 years BCE, can be recognised in the Bosnian calendar. After Christianity came, some of these
counting of the weeks until Hidirlez begins (May 6th), 17 weeks total. This is what determines the sowing.
dates received names of saints. With the arrival of the Slavs, pagans, people known for agriculture, the dates had different
The period from January 31st until March 20th is called Hamsin and it represents the second part of winter.
names, but they always remained the same. The folk calendar was used continuously, it was used during the time of the Bogumil's, it was also used during the Ottoman period, and it even serves a purpose today. Besides this, in Bosnia the
February- from February 14th until March
Hijri calendar was also strictly observed. It
14th is Veljača, the folk belief is that if snow falls in the beginning of the Veljača
was done by the Imam's and other religious scholars, in order to be aware of the
that the year will be fertile, and that wheat
important religious dates (Ramadan,
will have a good yield.
Bayram, New year, etc.). The Hijri calendar was impractical when it came to agriculture, since it moved forward ten days every solar year, however it was practical when it came to fasting during the
Djemre (Turkish: Cemreler), the meaning of this word is "burning charcoal", it is
month of Ramadan since it moved through all the seasons. We need to mention that
believed that Djemre is the sun's heat
the Hijri calendar was the official calendar
which starts to have an intense impact on the land and it starts awakening the nature.
in Bosnia during the Ottoman period, until the Austro-Hungarian period when they
-The first Djemra appears on February
brought the Gregorian calendar.
20th and heats the air. That's when the Southern wind starts blowing and it
The Bosnian folk calendar begins on
becomes milder.
December 21st, the folk belief holds that
-The second Djemra appears on February 27th heats up the water and raises its
on that date, the day extends as much as a rooster can jump from a doorstep. From
level. The water in the river doesn't freeze
this date on comes the Zehmeriya
from this point on. -The third Djemra appears on March 6th
(Turkish: Zehmeri) the coldest part of winter that lasts for 40 days. While
and heats up the land. The snow melts fast
Zehmeriya lasts people avoid drinking cold
and the first grass starts sprouting. (Right after the first Djemra the people
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BOSNIAN FOLK CALENDAR
have a custom to notch the roots of the birch and put a glass bottle so that the juices of the birch flow in it. The bottle
Kablići- March 29th until March 31st
stays in that position until the third Djemra. The collected juices are used for medicinal
Stablići- April 1st until April 3rd Štapići- April 4th until April 7th
purposes, especially kidney diseases). (All three names are connected to the past of Bosnia when the winters were very long and they usually lasted until the middle of March: the agricultural works begin during
April. During that period the cattle used to
this month, the potatoes, onions and salads are sown. After the third Djemra the fruit
die because of lack of food).
trees are notched and inoculated.
Mučenjaci- period from April 8th until July, this is the period when people suffered Grandma (Baba)- from March 15th until March 21st is the period of the grandma,
(hence the name) until the sowing of the wheat.
the unstable period when a couple of weather phenomena change in one day. Grandpa (Did,Djed)- from March 21st until
April: during April the corn is sown. The
March 28th is the period of the grandpa,
old Bosniaks would wait for the frogs to
the folk beliefs are that it is more merciful and people start sowing potatoes during
start making noise, which would be a sign that the climate is optimal for sowing. The
this period.
people also followed other signs of the nature, and therefore it is believed that when the beech tree starts sprouting
(“Did” or Grandpa is a name (title) of each
leaves that one can begin sowing grain
Bogumil priest in Bosnia and “Baba” (grandma) is the name of his wife who
without fearing frost. During the middle of April the grapevine was notched and a
helped her husband and the community by
bottle was placed underneath it for the
healing with herbs, assisting in births, or foretelling fortunes. Since the Bosnian
juices to drip in it until Hidirlez. This juice was used by women to smear on their hair
people were Bogumils before Islam came,
so it would be healthy and grow quicker.
it is then no mystery why they kept some of the memories of their old religion. Among the folk there are numerous stories, mostly comical, about Did and Baba and their adventures. By them, we can discern that they commanded great
May: in the first quarter of May the sowing of beans begins.
respect among the Bosnian people.)
Hidirlez or Jurjevo (May 6th)- according to the national calendar from this day forward, the summer begins and the swimming in lakes and ponds can begin. In
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BOSNIAN FOLK CALENDAR
the period from May 6th until May 13th the first swarms of bees are let loose.
onward, winter starts. On this day, all loans are settled, and leases of land end. Kasum is Turkish the name of November. The Arabic word kasim means 'something that divides“.
June: the first seven days of June are called "bijela nedjelja” or “white week" because the white mushrooms (Cantharellus cibarius) are picked in the forests at that time. In the beginning of June , pumpkins, turnips and radishes are sown.
August: it is believed that this month gives diarrhea to children and the elderly. To prevent this from happening, the mothers would take some clothes of their children
Pagan background of the folk calendar
and throw it under the wheel of carriages that carry wheat bundles. In the first days of August the onion and garlic are picked. Aliđun- August 2nd: the folk belief is that from this day on, the summer loses its heat
As Christianity took over most of the
and slowly turns into autumn, the water in
pagan holidays and customs creating a cult
the rivers begins to cool down and there can be no more swimming.
of saints, in this analysis of ancient Bosnian calendar we won't waste space and time by discovering which saint took over which role of a pagan deity, instead we will focus on more important, original segments which are in its basis key
September: during this month the potato is
principles for punctual description of the folk calendar whose content follows the
reaped, the corn as well and the grapes start ripening. If some strawberries sprout in September, then it is believed that the
creative cycle of nature. The only thing that is worth mentioning is that Christianity changed moved some dates a few days
autumn will be long and mild.
earlier or later from the original date of the pagan holidays in order to give it a Christian meaning and diminish the ancient, pagan one.
October: in the first and second week of October wheat is sown.
Researchers of ancient Bosnia came across archaeological evidence which point out that there was mixing between the Celtic religious cults with those of the Illyrians, especially with the Japodi, a tribe that
Kasum - November 8th: from this day
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inhabited the north-western part of Bosnia. By analysing the folk calendar of that part
goddess mother, which was celebrated as triple goddess - girl, mother and old
of Bosnia, which was transferred orally
woman. The name Zehmerija, unlike the
from one generation to the other, we can discover the traces of Celtic religion, the
other two names, doesn't originate from Bosnia, it is a part of the Turkish folk
cult of fertility to be more exact, which is a
tradition which was accepted by our people
staple part of what we know today as European witchcraft.
and merged into the tradition. But, while Zehmerija actually Zehmeri or Zehmerir in Turkish alludes to males, in Bosnia
By describing particular calendar dates and beliefs connected to them we can
Zehmerija was always considered to be a female name. This is supported by "Crna
relatively successfully reconstruct the
Zehmerija" (Black Zehemerija), which
ancient cult of triple goddess Brigid which is also considered the Grand Mother.
represents the coldest winter days. During that period in the past people tended to get
Wheat was dedicated to her out of whom
frozen fingers or toes, in case of very low
prophylactic symbols were created with intent to keep the family safe from evil.
temperatures.
Herodotus in one of his descriptions of the Illyrians mentions that Illyrian women bring wheat as a sacrifice to one of their Zehmerija
goddesses. This undoubtedly confirms the similar belief of the Celt and the Illyrians.
Witches holiday Yule which is exactly on 21st December and more than ideally it
In the folk calendar dualism is emphasized, the permeation of the negative and the
corresponds to the calendar date of the beginning of Zehmerija. From the winter solstice the day starts to get longer by the
positive period during which nature begins and ends its circle of fertility, which is under the protection of the goddess mother
amount that the rooster can jump from the house doorstep. In this folk belief there is a clear allusion to the sun cult, whose
and god sun. Modelled after the antique folk calendar, the Bosnian is divided on only two seasons i.e. summer and winter
symbol is a rooster, because in paganism after 21st of December the sun is "born" and announces a gradual arrival of warmer
because it is in its essence agricultural and follows the natural cycles. According to the belief of the Bosnian folk summer
days.
begins in May and ends in November (Beltane-Samhain), and then comes the winter, when would the manifestation of
The goddess gave birth to a son, god,
the goddess mother, in her three forms,
father of the child in the next cycle. She is tired and exhausted and that's why she's
which will eventually become her lover and
commence together with the winter solstice.
resting and recuperating. That's why it's cold and snowy in nature. The goddess like the Bosnian woman rests for 40 days
Zehmerija, Veljača and Baba we will analyse in more detail, besides female
(četeresnica) after birth, which is also how long the Zehmerija is, and during that time the folk tradition records various taboos
names and characteristics, they symbolise three life stages which are undoubtedly reminiscent of the pagan cult of the
which clearly allude to birth. Apparently,
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BOSNIAN FOLK CALENDAR
while the Zehmerija lasts the people would avoid travelling by night, in order not to
grows continually, the light pierces darkness and the days become longer. The
cross places where the demons celebrate
nature is slowly coming to life, which is
and dine which also has the greatest influence during that part of year. From
reflected by the Bosnian calendar in the form of a fight between southern and
such encounters between people and the
northern wind. The goddess shows her
Jinn, humans can fall ill both physically and mentally. A similar prohibition pertains to a
blessings, the folk tradition claims that if the beginning of Veljača i.e. 14th, 15th and
woman who gave birth; she was prohibited
16th of February is marked by
from going out at night from fear of a demon attack, since she has no immunity
precipitation of snow the year will be fruitful, especially for wheat, usually a
to them during the first 40 days after birth.
symbol of the goddess.
Veljača Calendar wise Veljača is different from
Baba or Grandma
Zehmerija because it doesn't coincide with the other pagan holiday called Imbolc
Baba, as the name suggests, symbolises an old lady. In the same way, the pagan holiday Ostare falls on the vernal equinox
which is celebrated from dusk of 31st January until 2nd February which means that it comes at the end of Zehmerija, and
on the last day of a seven day cycle which is ruled by the Baba. With that we could claim that the last day symbolises the end
we shouldn't disregard this information. Imbolc is the event when the Celtic triple goddess Brigid first appeared as a girl and
of the life cycle. In this period the goddess mother conceived a child i.e. son who will be born on December 21st. Baba can be
made love with the young sun god, who was born on the shortest day in the year.
easily seen as a pregnant woman since the Bosnian term zbabna refers to a pregnant woman and the word babine refers to the
The difference of 12 days is perhaps due to the events i.e. mistakes in oral transfer of the tradition from one generation to the
traditional visit to the woman who gave birth. The folk description of Baba's character clearly alludes to classic
other. But, we shouldn't ignore the fact that Zehemerija, which lasts for 40 days, begins on December 21st and ends 1st of
symptoms that a woman has during childbirth - she is wilful, fickle, prone to frequent changes of mood... Due to such
February. The name Veljača probable comes from Velja, Vela or Velika which alludes to the fact that the girl became a
circumstances the goddess mother can sometimes steal fertility from humans and cause a dry year or a year marked by
mother, and that's why she obtained the title grand/big, the one that brings forth life. Her symbol is the full moon. The
frequent storms.
goddess recovered from birth. God has
During this period the goddess covers the
strengthened and his warmth slowly permeates the earth and that's how the
earth with fertility, awakens it from its slumber, and the god grows and slowly reaches maturity. The hours of the day and
first signs of spring come about. His power
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night are equal, and light slowly triumphs over darkness. Farming activities start.
fruits and grain. In the past the Bosnian people visited cult places in nature, known
The sun is in its northernmost point.
as dovišta, and those were the places
The end of Baba begins with a seven day
where god was worshiped and celebrations were held followed with entertainment and
period during which Did rules, the male
food. With that the old pagan tradition was
principle, or better to say god whose mother is the goddess, he has now reached
followed of praising the holiday of harvest and thankfulness for the yields of nature.
maturity and shares grace to the people,
Dovište Lastavica was until the middle of
which is described in the folk tradition: "Did is merciful because during it one can
the twentieth century a cult place where Bosnian people would gather for 2nd of
start planting potatoes". The seed is placed
August to practice the ritual of
in the earth which needs to supply the crop, fertility. The dominant influence of
slaughtering sheep, which is a tradition from the Illyrian times as many
god is seen in the following months.
ethnologists claim, and it symbolised "sacrificing a virgin to the devil" i.e. a specific deity from whom one sought mercy and blessing in order to ensure fertility.
Jurjevo (Hidirlez) In the pagan tradition Beltane symbolises the beginning of the light half of the year i.e. the arrival of summer. For the Celts that is the holiday dedicated to the god of
Kasum
light (sun) who has fire as its symbol. That's why each year during Jurjevo or
Samhain (31.10-02.11), symbolises the end of the summer and the light part of the
Hidirlez in Bosnia early in the morning, before sun rise, a fire is lit in the yard as a sign of welcome to the sun which will
year after which winter and darkness arrive. Among the folk it is called Kasum, Turkish name for November. The name
appear in the east. Because of the strong monotheistic influence that ritual was interpreted as a defence from snakes,
Kasum stems from Arabic which means "something which is shared". The end of the warm period and the beginning of
which allowed it to be hidden and freely practiced throughout the ages.
winter is best supported by the folk saying: "Jurjevo brings a green leaf and Kasum white snow!" That is where the Bosnian folk calendar ends.
Aliđun Lughnassan which lasts from 31st July until 2nd of August is the ancient holiday of harvest. In Bosnia during that period comes the Aliđun which is considered by the people to stand for the height of summer during which there is prosperity of
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