English: The zadusnica / Zadušnica, celebrated in Bulgaria in honour of deceased ancestors, corresponds closely to the Russian dziadys and also finds an analogue in the commemoration of the dead among the ancient Letts and Lithuanians in October. After a picture by Professor Morvicka.

Identifier: mythologyofallra03gray (find matches)
Title: The Mythology of all races ..
Year: 1918 (1910s)
Authors: Gray, Louis H. (Louis Herbert), 1875-1955 Moore, George Foot, 1851-1931 MacCulloch, J. A. (John Arnott), 1868-1950
Subjects: Mythology
Publisher: Boston, Marshall Jones Company
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Wellesley College Library

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r-moth is taken to be the coming ofthe forefathers. The ample supper finished, the Dziadys arebidden adieu and requested to fly back to heaven, while thefood appointed for them is left on the table and distributedamong the poor on the following day. The winter dziadys are celebrated in a similar way on theSaturday preceding Quinquagesima Sunday. The spring dziadys, or radunica (derived from Greek poBmvia,meadow of roses), fall on Tuesday in Easter-Week. Thehousewife prepares two sorts of dishes, one for the members ofthe household, the other for the forefathers; and after a shortprayer before the icons, the members of the family betakethemselves with food and drink to the churchyard, where the PLATE XXVII Zadusnica The zadusnica, celebrated in Bulgaria in honourof deceased ancestors, corresponds closely to theRussian dziadys (pp. 235-37) and also finds an ana-logue in the commemoration of the dead among theancient Letts and Lithuanians in October. After apicture by Professor Morvicka.
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WORSHIP OF THE DEAD 237 women chant dirges of a peculiar sort, while the men roll eggsblessed by the priest. A cloth is then spread over the familygrave, and the provisions and a bottle of vodka arc placedupon it, after which the family sit in a circle round It and invitethe forefathers to join their banquet. All present eat anddrink, talking about the dead; and what is left of the food isdistributed among the beggars, a great number of whomassemble at the cemetery, or else it is left on the graves. Egg-shells and even whole eggs are buried in the grave, and lamen-tations and funeral dirges conclude the ceremony. The summer dziadys are kept in a similar way on the Satur-day preceding Whitsunday, when the graves are swept cleanwith sprigs of birch, this being called giving the Dziadys asteam-bath. All who desire to avoid the anger of the forefathers andthus guard their family against misfortune should keep thedziadys, the only persons exempt being those families thathave removed to a n

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