The paper analyzes women’s attitudes towards folk calendric and life cycle rituals in the war novel Pirey (Wheat-grass) by Macedonian writer P. M. Andreeski. In the time of uncertainty and ordeals folk means of supporting health and well-being in the family give hope and become more popular.
Paper long abstract:
In his novel Pirey (Wheat-grass) the prominent Macedonian writer Petre M. Andreeski (1934–2006) describes traditional life and customs of a remote village in Macedonia during the Balkan war at the beginning of 20th century. One of the major heroines is Velika whose life starting from her wedding with Ion until her death is depicted in detail with a lot of folklore and ethnographic details on the life cycle and calendric rituals, folk medicine and beliefs. While Ion is fighting as a soldier at the war, Velika with other countrywomen in the village is going through ordeals, famine, and epidemic, her four children die one after another. In the time of uncertainty the irrational folk means of supporting health and well-being of the family, well preserved in the patriarchal village, are supposed to give even more hope and become more popular.
Another aspect is that lack of the relevant products for celebrating Christmas and Easter make the women to forget about the time as such, which shows, firstly, the importance of the culinary food for the festivals of the ritual year, and secondly, the role of the rituals as markers of the calendric time.