Elbetitsa

 

            This post will not tell you of mythical creatures and carnival characters, but it will take another one of the misty trails of Bulgarian folklore, namely the traditional embroidery. Here I’ll focus on probably the most widespread symbol in it – the Elbetitsa (a symbol that has as its foundation an equal-armed cross or two of them combined into one. On this foundation craftspeople would build, combining different elements, creating all kinds of variations, ranging from very simple to very complex). 

            It never seizes to amaze me how the main motifs in Bulgarian embroidery take root in Prehistoric times (they can be seen on rock carvings, ceramics etc.) and have managed to survive until this day and age. And even though contemporary people might have no idea whatsoever about the meaning of these symbols, they still feel strongly drawn to them. There is a very simple reason for that: the symbols in question represent the most universal human needs, hopes and beliefs, the very base of human psyche, which, conscious or subconscious, doesn’t change much, regardless of the historic era. And, I suppose, deep in our bones we still carry the memory of our ancestors who actually knew the meaning of the symbols and used it completely consciously in ritual and everyday life (which weren’t exactly separate from each other).

            And speaking of time, the Elbetitsa tells us the story of people who lived before us, who had an entirely different idea about time. For some of us the mere idea that there can be another kind of time sounds weird. Time goes in a straight line, from point A to point B, there’s no turning back and we’re all trapped in this unforgivable linear movement, speeding towards our demise and then it’s all over forever. Right? Well, I’m going to quote here Dr. Sharon Blackie, from an episode of my favourite “Mythic Masculine” podcast (Check out the Recommended links if interested): “Linear time is a product of our age because progress is only possible in a linear time.” And progress is the central myth of our age. Go bigger, climb high on the ladder of career, what you have is never enough, you are never good enough, you need more*. We assume that humans have always been like that, but it turns out that this wasn’t exactly the case. Our ancient ancestors lived by different myths and by a different time called a cyclic time. They lived in tune with the land, saw divinity as being present in everything existing, so they grasped the world as a whole. And this whole operated, and still operates, in cycles. The Sun would vanish at night, only to appear again at dawn. Nature would die in winter, only to be reborn again in spring. Same with human life, probably. We are part of this same cosmos after all. I’m not an expert, but you would have a hard time to find the idea that everything ends when you die anywhere outside of the monotheistic religions, which are relatively new in human history. Ebb and flow, ups and downs, light and darkness, joy and grief, for our ancestors what moved in cycles was more important than what you could measure in a linear fashion, or quantity. Modern paganists still observe the Solstices and Equinoxes that mark the turning of the Wheel of the Year, a significant part of them using the Celtic names of the corresponding holidays. (The Christian world celebrates the same thing but does it unconsciously. Both Jesus and the sun are “born” around the Winter Solstice; both Jesus and nature are “resurrected” around the Spring Equinox; you get the idea.)

So, here’s the Celtic Wheel of the Year:

And here's the Elbetitsa:

 

            The equal-armed cross is an essential part of Bulgarian traditional embroidery but it’s by no means only a Bulgarian thing; it can be seen all around the globe. The four directions of the world, the four seasons, you name it. It is a symbol of the unity of opposites, which creates harmony and order in the Universe. I think this is a beautiful message, brought to us by this ancient symbol, and it’s not surprising that it survived for so long. People will always need the hope for a new day dawning, for new beginnings, for feeling in unison with the world and for making sense of the ups and downs of life.

 

    *Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against progress at all, and I’m not an advocate of laziness. But I feel there are times for progress and there are times for stillness, rest and reflection. If we are never happy with what is at the moment, we are never happy.  

 

Image credit: drawings and embroidery by me.