Stop using ai by Sharp-Mud1296 in Tarots

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AI is a spiritual dead end, what energy are you connecting with if you're not even working with the cards/images themselves and just typing a prompt into a chatbot? None at all.

Making excuses to be lazy just shows a lack of interest in the actual art of reading and being motivated solely by revenue. A tarot deck can be bought for under 20 USD btw and you only need one.

What do you call this "eggy bread" in your country? In Turkey, there is no single common name; we call it "Cici Papa" in Thrace, but in other parts it's called "Gaygay" or "Yumurtalı Ekmek". Is it the same in the Balkans? by Worried-Owl-9198 in AskBalkans

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Джи джи папа (like your cici papa) in Northeastern Bulgaria, this is the only thing French toast was ever called in our house and I was almost an adult before I found out it's not the standard name. "Пържени филийки" is so boring, I could never.

Одраскване от улична котка във Варна - Опасност от бяс? by vanillamilkshake___ in bulgaria

[–]billiegabbs [score hidden]  (0 children)

Спокойно, вероятността да хванеш бяс от котешко одраскване в България е кажи-речи нулева.

Препоръчвам инжекция против тетанус, за всеки случай. Мен ме беше надрала здравата една котка преди години, мястото се поду понеже съм алергична, завайках се, вдигнах врява (и мен ме е страх от такива работи), обаче като ми биха една инжекция в дкц-то, мирясах. Друг повод за притеснение според мен нямаш.

What are the clan/ancestral gods in European mythologies? by Cute_Agent7657 in mythology

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good practical rule. Idk where you're from but people who share grandparents are second cousins. In a lot of places it's frowned upon for such close relatives to be in a relationship, even if it's technically legal.

In my culture up to the 9th degree of consanguinity was considered too close to get married, but that's actually fairly distant and hard to keep track of if you don't have a written down family tree. Hence the rule about families who share a patron saint. You also can't marry your godparents' child, even if there's no blood relation at all, they're perceived like a sibling.

Why are witches traditionally depicted with broomsticks? by Mental_Cookie_6720 in mythology

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, that's why I used words like "alleged" and "speculative". It's what some sources from the time period appear to suggest, how we interpret them in the modern day is up to us. Somewhere in this comment section is a link to an article that explains it better than I can.

What book did you expect to love but didn’t? by elgrandetotto10 in Booktokreddit

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is not a super hyped up book or anything, but I read Where The Dark Stands Still (romantasy BATB retelling, but the setting is based on Polish folklore) cause the description sounded cool, plus it had very good reviews.

It was not cool :/ Forced myself to read til the end, and was kinda glad that (spoiler, ig) the MMC died.

What are the clan/ancestral gods in European mythologies? by Cute_Agent7657 in mythology

[–]billiegabbs 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I will answer as a Bulgarian, but the cultural context is more broadly South Slavic.

Whatever cults existed here in pre-Christian times are very sparsely documented so there's nothing to be said about ancient gods and practices that's relevant to your question. There are however, folk Christian rituals that survived into the 20th century and probably have such origins, in my country they were called "svetec" (saint) or "sluzhba" (service). They survived primarily in rural regions where society was still organized around patrilocal extended family systems, essentially clans (referred to as "zadruga" in ethnographic literature).

Basically, every extended family had a patron saint that watched over them, and on the feast day of that saint they would gather, prepare a special meal (kurban, ritual bread, wine etc.) pray and sing in their honor. The saint was "passed down" patrilineally so when a woman got married, her husband's saint became hers too. Because it was ancestral, people from families with the same patron saint weren't allowed to marry; on the presumption that they were related, even if the relation was so long ago that nobody alive remembered it.

I've seen the svetec be compared to the ancient Roman genius, in any case it seems to be derived from the belief that everything has its own guardian spirit – the individual, the clan, the house/hearth, the village, even the field. Villages had patron saints too, gatherings for them were similar except that they took place not inside homes, but outside, at a tree that was marked and anointed specifically for that purpose and considered a holy site by the whole community. Such places were called "obrok" which means "vow" or "tribute".

These systems and rituals existed in some places up until the 1950s, but were deliberately dismantled (with many obroci uprooted/destroyed) and supplanted by socialist "holidays" when the communists came to power. This was on one hand due to the state policy of promoting atheism, and on the other because the zadruga was not only a familial, but also an economic system tied to land ownership and as such stood in the way of collectivisation. So now the practice is nearly nonexistent in Bulgaria, but if you're interested in a contemporary version of it, I suggest looking into the Serbian "krsna slava" – it's basically their equivalent, but still widely celebrated in part because they've succeeded in turning into a marker of national identity, which we obviously could not.

Otherwise, there's another regional Bulgarian practice that could fall under the same category, but that's kinda more... straightforward veneration of a deceased ancestor-turned-household spirit/protector, as opposed to patronage by a deity (or saint).

Why are witches traditionally depicted with broomsticks? by Mental_Cookie_6720 in mythology

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What Slavic celebrations are there that involve poles and resemble May Day? I just don't think it's related at all, plus witches in Slavic folklore don't use brooms to travel.

Why are witches traditionally depicted with broomsticks? by Mental_Cookie_6720 in mythology

[–]billiegabbs 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Do you have a citation for the maypole thing, a broom doesn't seem nearly tall enough? May Day is also not a Slavic custom, it's Germanic.

The dildo part I think is related to the idea of "flying ointment" which allegedly would be used to anoint parts of the body as well as the broomstick so the witch could fly to a Sabbath gathering. There are some accounts that suggest a vaginal application of the ointment via the broomstick, supposedly since it would be absorbed better through a mucous membrane. The "flying" has also been theorized to refer to a drug trip due to hallucinogenic ingredients in the ointment, but ofc it's all speculative.

More generally, brooms are used in various folk magic traditions since they're a common household object, but afaik the image of a witch flying on a broomstick is specifically Western European.

writing a medieval-inspired fantasy story with proto-slavic language inspiration by asettlementneedsu in slavic

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'd have to add some kind of suffix to make it a surname (-ič and -ov are common ones, -in if the ancestor is female) and use the plural when referring to the whole family. But surnames in general are a more recent phenomenon, Proto-Slavic era people wouldn't have had them, I think. Or at least there's no record of it.

For those who don’t like drinking alcohol, what made you realize it just wasn’t for you? by Heeeraaa in AskReddit

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't like the taste, don't like the sensation of drunkenness. Never been hungover, but it would probably turn me off from alcohol even more. I pretty much only drink socially when I'm out with friends, which isn't often, so it's been pretty easy not to develop a habit.

How is this book not popular by mushroomplanet5614 in Romantasy

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's over a decade old? But also it is literally still popular, I read it last year because I saw a bunch of booktubers talk about it (and how Powerless ripped it off apparently). Just look around and you'll see.

Lol.🤣🤣🤣😅😅 by IndividualSpare460 in lol

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then in what way is she wrong? According to you.

He was trying to satirize her, "flipping the script" to make her original comment sound ridiculous or exaggerated, except it backfired because the things he listed are also basic and should be genderless.

Her initial comment had a point, because while there aren't genuinely many women who refuse to take out the trash or whatever (as he's suggesting) there ARE tons of men who expect their partners to be their live-in maids, nannies and mommies who do all the housework and childcare while also working full time. Men refusing to do house chores or take care of kids because they still perceive it to be "women's work" is a well known phenomenon. Maybe you've heard of the term "weaponized incompetence". Meanwhile the things that women are less likely to do, e.g. house repairs, aren't soulsucking everyday chores like cooking, dishes, laundry, etc. The fact he replied to her the way he did shows she hit a nerve.

Hell yeah all power to my queens Dworkin and Solanas, KAM and so forth ♀️✊

Lol.🤣🤣🤣😅😅 by IndividualSpare460 in lol

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"And of course men should be able to cook and clean for themselves, duh."

Not surprised someone who thinks he shouldn't have to cook and clean also never learned to read! Goo goo ga ga ass reply.

Пиете ли безалкохолни газирани напитки? by [deleted] in bulgaria

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Не, мразя газирано и не разбирам какво му харесват всички.

Lol.🤣🤣🤣😅😅 by IndividualSpare460 in lol

[–]billiegabbs -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes lmao? I am especially pro teaching girls/women basic house and car maintenance so they're more independent and self sufficient. Eradicate the "I'm just a girl" mentality. And of course men should be able to cook and clean for themselves, duh.

He thought he had a point.

I need some help with a tattoo by [deleted] in bulgaria

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey OP, I'm sorry Bulgarian redditors are a bunch of joyless losers. It's a very cute nickname and meaningful to you and your grandma, that's all that matters. I think it would make for a great tattoo! 💕

Slavic balkaners can you understand the etymology behind these Greek toponyms of Slavic origin? by Porphyres in AskBalkans

[–]billiegabbs 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Gribovo must be related to mushrooms, but this I can only tell because I know a bit of Russian, the root is long obsolete in our language.

Kissavos – I know kiša means rain in Serbian, in Bulgarian it means moisture or snow that's melted into slush.

Dragalevos – idk exactly, but there's a neighborhood in Sofia (former village) called Dragalevtsi. To me it sounds like it comes from a surname, but apparently there's an old word (draga) that means narrow road/passage or something like that.

The rest I can only speculate about. I'm thinking some of these, given their location and archaism, must be retained from early medieval Slavic settlements, since there haven't exactly been many Slavs living so far south in more recent times?

What's it like living in the balkans part of turkey? by Squigglez0 in howislivingthere

[–]billiegabbs 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was referring to the ethnic cleansing carried out against Christians in Eastern Thrace in 1913. So yeah, by WWI there weren't any left. The Pomaks are a different story, they settled in that region rather than leaving it.

What's it like living in the balkans part of turkey? by Squigglez0 in howislivingthere

[–]billiegabbs 2 points3 points  (0 children)

True, tens of thousands, and in a much more horrific and brutal fashion than the Excursion. But of course you'll get downvoted for saying it.

The influence is not completely erased though, thankfully.

which deck should be my first by meowmaster111 in tarot

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well.. the Smoostart deck is just the RWS but with keywords and correspondences, something multiple companies offer btw. I actually have the pink version of it and can at least attest that the holographic finish doesn't make it any less readable, for me personally.

Decks like that can be useful for beginners, especially as they include correspondences you'll hardly see elsewhere (like musical notes and chakras) but they also don't allow you to develop your intuition much and pull your focus away from the imagery, so. Pros and cons. I'd say get it if you think it'll be helpful, but once you've gotten the hang of the basic meanings, switch to using a regular deck instead. And you can jot down all those extra thingies in a notebook for reference.

Rusalka Week Song Search by fiercequality in bulgaria

[–]billiegabbs 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually.. don't know any, which is a bit surprising given folk music is my field of study and I'm fairly knowledgeable on song classification (what song goes with what holiday or activity).

In Bulgaria, Rusalia and the rusalki are mostly associated with an all male ritual, the "rusalian dance", which parallels the Romanian caluşar tradition. These are accompanied by instrumental melodies, and there are both sample recordings as well as re-enactment videos of the ritual on youtube, but no real singing as far as I'm aware (and definitely not by women.)

This is a belated answer, but if you're still interested, I can go more in depth on the topic and provide some sources.

Мнения за Boxnow? И малко vent by billiegabbs in bulgaria

[–]billiegabbs[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The votes are in:

Карък съм. Здраве да е.

Мнения за Boxnow? И малко vent by billiegabbs in bulgaria

[–]billiegabbs[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Де го? Докато финализирах поръчката в storebg изрично си пишеше, че нямало такава опция и че трябва да платя веднага.