New-York tribune., 1908-10-11

oa-t o,.or .+or,, roade The water wheel and the
sickle are observed by the waysde. \ group OF
peasants in festal costume are encountered. Inc
men wear round astrakhan caps. linen biouA'' aIu
sheaDskin coats with the Hool turned inside. Inc
girls are fascinating in their vaFi-coo'Tu ''hei'
frocks red and orange aprons, their haT In muir
pie plats, strung with flowers ana R"id an" 9''''
coins It IS necessary that the hair should be lohs
ard abundant. therefore an insufficient natural
supulv may be eked with additions. Whet''er
OF the same color not II there IS a or'de III
the party she a tinsel crown ana d gay
dress much embroidered Perhaps the peasants
are on the way to celebrate the coming OF spring
with the ancient national dane. called lh' nor
and music Of bagpipe. flute and guzls. or ''"'h'
will accompany the quaint steps of the dance.
There is belief in charms and wtchcraft, and offer-
ings of food are made to the dead some Oh u'7
etor,s reflect the practices of Thracian tribes VINO
dwelt IN the mountains two thousand years aso'
For example, the church feast OF 81 George D"y
comedies with the spring festival OF the lhIhci"h
rider" a mounted pagan deity carved on olu F"'''e
tablets Every pious family slaughteTs Il iaIi'p o'
St Georges Day and hangs the carcass ali' s'e.l
Laughs at the front door. The peasants refra'h
to,n emitting the grass in circular forest glades'
rb,ch are reserved the dances of mountain
favs called samvolas. person s"he'"Ne
,er,,ous trouble need only spend night IN 'le lE
infested glade and is forthwith cured However II
g. 0e, 10 look out for the youdas. VINO are "''he"
<,,o. ,.i,5 hair SO long that II hangs over the
tiohest mountains as they sit and COMP IL hIouiu
I,a.,ar unmarried girls cast willow wreaths III
,ro.,ns and II the wreaths ho6t and drift toward
,bo eeld Of neighbor Il means marriage WIN tile
r.,cbhor A bride entering her husbands mouse IL
..,Drosed not to speak until she Is addressed ana
in some sections her father-in-laW welcomes heT
nv tving pair Of retns around heT neck III 'oni'
=, MARITAL subjugation. The mother-ln-la" touOle
6 indicated by a story OF young wife VINO oeins
hactored by her mother-in-iaw asked Goo 10
nbange her into bird, and she was blithely esoap
TIC nm the chimney in guise Of a swallow "hen
80 po+har-in-laws scissors took snip in her ta1l
rn.1,ng the notch that still remains.
Outside of Sofia there are practically no hotels'
b,,t the people are hosptable and the tncnasteFiss
1tu give shelter If not food There are no SeWeF
,bsn FORTY nnonasteries in the district around tae
canital city They are built on the style OF
medieval forts-a gate leading to courtyard en-
circ1ed with two story gallery. stables for AMI
mails below and rooms for monks and guests aooVe
The church squats in the lowest corner or the
courtyard, and all thS buildings match the gray
tomas of the rocks amid which they are perchea'
The unobtrusive shrinking attitude is explained
,,,ba1 one learns as a sample incident, that twenty
inmates Of a monastery were seized by orlsands
and hurled TO death over precipice The great
Rilo monastery, situated an Isolated helsnt. ls
a village in itself, where all trades are practlsed
and an army of pilgrims accomplish aaelF VOWS