Where Can One Find “Sala” For The Kaliada ‘Goat’?
Belarusans are a strange nation: while our neighbours have their Christian names for our common significant holidays, we, however, stubbornly name them in our own pagan way. Ester is “The Great Day” there. Instead of the common orthodox “Parent’s Saturday” we commemorate our ancestors on the 9th day after Ester, Tuesday, named “Radaŭnitsa” (from the word “Rod” – god of a kin). Saint Ivan steps aside for “Koupalle” on his Day, when the goddess Koupalinka rules as a matron…
The name of our main winter holiday “Kaliady” has no relation to Jesus’ birth as well. Although, we observe this significant event and praise it in our Kaliada songs, but with this only action, the link between the holyday, which lasts three weeks, and Christmas ends.
Using the word “Kaliady” in different forms embodies the Belarusan rich spiritual imagination. Kaliady is the name of the holyday. Kaliada – some spiritual creature and at the same time – a group of strange people in fancy dress, who go door-to-door, soliciting for food by singing songs and leading a special magic “goat” around the master’s house in order for him to have a good harvest next year. Yet, kaliada is used as a verb that means going door-to-door, begging…
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Where Can One Find “Sala” For The Kaliada ‘Goat’?
You never know what else is going to happen to you in Canada…
Sometimes, I tell to my Canadian friends what our Belarusan holydays are. They are always a play: prepared or not, with costumes or without – anyway, it is always an entire improvisation, a comedy with a casual plot and characters, who appear simply in the course of a play, unpredictably and wittily. Not only on holydays but any time, does a Belarusan find a place for jokes and improvisation, playing some comedy part. I think we may boldly add to the famous phrase “Belarusans are a nation of poets” more so “a nation of comedians”.
Here comes Kaliady – a good chance to make merry, ’fool around’ and pour out our hearts. And it doesn’t matter that we are so far away from the place where Kaliada was born – according to the song, “it still doesn’t miss our house”.
Are you, host, going
to order us to sing a Kaliada song?
Or to give our Kaliada something for free?
Since I can’t get in tune with our “Yavarovy Liudzi” (“White Maple People”), I don’t dare to dirty “the clear star” that “is rising above Bethlehem”. But I feel like kaliading… I turn down immediately the role of a ‘goat’: still remembering the last year’s ‘goat’ crashing so vividly onto the floor, I decide I don’t have enough talent for this traditional character. I don’t just eager to crack my head against the floor. Therefore, my participation in the Kaliada Tour is under the threat…
We all are bold guys
who are from a distant land…
“Maybe, I can hold the ‘Star’ for you? Or turn the note sheets?..”
But my soul is asking for something lofty…
“Irka, tomorrow, you will be a Gipsy woman on the ‘Yalinka’!”* it sounds deliberately strict and peremptory from the phone receiver. Well, denying a boss’ request isn’t our habit.
*Yalinka – a children Christmas Tree party.
Oh! I’m a young Gipsy!
And I’m not an ordinary Gipsy…
So what! A Gipsy – what scope for a fancy! I have never done such thing in my life, yet!
As many as possible colored shawls on all curvy places, innumerable amount of beads, earrings and bracelets, the same amount of scruffy children – really, am I not a Gipsy? …Well, I should have the same measure of courage and impudence yet.
Your house is made of clay
and based on straw.
After we pull down this one,
we will build the new one!
The first appearance on the scene – I’m not getting not only in tune, but in any phrase of the rehearsed action also. Not having time for changing the previous part’s clothes, I forget my beads, then my ‘baby’; therefore, I’m running about under the guise of ‘live action’.
We are not only coming ourselves,
But also leading the goat!
And at this point, the ‘goats’ horns fall off. (Great creativity isn’t
without blunders, sorry…) So only the miraculous ‘angel-keeper’ of the
entire event, who is the image of the only sober-thinking one, a head of
our group Viyaleta, saves the situation, plugging all the unexpected
pauses with the proper phrases and inventions.
Well then, goat,
go twist, go round,
walk around the
master’s house.
Where the goat walks,
There rye grows.
The ’goat’ performed by my friend Nadzia is something special in the dramatic art! A skittish girl, a plastic dancer who can force everybody to break into a dance, and suddenly, there is such graceful falling – she is exactly an inspiredly dying fighter for the people’s happiness from an old soviet movie.
O-o-oh! The goat fell!
She died; she’s lost!
What should one to give her
So as she stand up?
The Kaliada-people are wailing loudly…
And above the unbounded Canadian food paradise,
there is the sacred and almost unattainably cherished
thundering chant: “The goat should be given SALA!”. *
* Sala (Bel) – favorite national food (fat bacon)
…Here yet a Gipsy is visiting us!
I’m still visiting the clouds impressed by Nadzia’s talent, so only a sensible punch from Viyaleta shoves me out to the scene and returns me to the earth: “Gild my hand, oh give me, my silver! I’ll predict you all the truth…” If now I don’t stuff the whole pockets with happiness – I will be crossed out from the next repertoire as an good-for-nothing being. (Fear is the sail of inspiration!)
…It will be then, though: at the Tsihanouski’s house, the grateful admirers will prostrate themselves before Kaliada’s feet together with the “goat” and frenziedly rake out
their wallets, and money will pour into the stretched Gipsy’s pockets (someone will slip me his credit card, but another one – a 10-cent coupon from the Canadian Tire).
And at the Elyashevich’s home, our community will make one more ‘discovery’ – the talented actor of the youngest participant of the event, 6-year-old Dominica who acted as my scruffy kid, stripping off all my skirts and shawls at her well-founded insistance: “Mama, give me food!” And as it was every year, here at this house, such desired and such tasty, gotten already traditional, Belarusan ‘baba’ will wait for as…
By the way, at every house we were given on with hospitality and sincerity. Kaliada is grateful to the all hosts and participants of the event!
But you never know where you are going to be skidding next time…
Kaliada had traveled hundred roads
Until she came to Niagara-falls!
During the three years that I have lived in Canada, I have never had a chance to get to Niagara-falls. And now, we are going to that area. But visiting the falls isn’t in the Kaliada’s plan due to a lack of time.
In the town of Niagara-on the-lake, our driver Igar lost his way after all. We didn’t miss the opportunity to teas him: watch! nearly to the States have we gotten!.
…Preparing to go home, Nadzia began to ask the host about the way. Igar tapped me on the shoulder and said: “You will see the Niagara today!” I accept it as a joke.
But…- I’m so grateful to you, my friends for this gift! – they, indeed, brought me to the falls so as just to have my eye on them briefly. But they didn’t restrict themselves and jumped out the car to take pictures.
It was snowing and was storming. It was –17ºC. But we were making jokes, laughing and acting some sort of our merry parts…
And it’s still not known, who was more lucky: I – for seeing the majesty of Niagara in its grandiose ice mantle. Or Niagara – playing host to real hot Belarusan Kaliada!
Next summer,
God, give us rye!..
Gipsy Ryna
from a distant land
