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66 Anna Plotnikova 2

he who received a wheaten grain would prosper in growing wheat and so on. The term is widespread practically in all the regions inhabited by the Serbs, except for the so-called Torlak or Śop area that is in South-eastem Serbia and it nearly coincides with the outlines of torlak dialect mostly similar to western Bulgarian dialects. Very often, but far from everywhere, this term appears in Montenegro, and also it is known by Catholics in Bośnia and Hercegovina, chiefly on the left side of the river Neretva. In case of elimination of the name ćesnica (ueCHUi^a) for the similar ritual cake the terms correlating with the names of calendar holidays in ęuestion are used: Serbian 6agnaua, south Serbian and Macedonian 6agHiiK, Serbian 60?KiitiH>aK et al. If the bread of this type (circular cake with the coin or some other tokens) is baked on New Year’s Day (Eve), otherwise on St. BasiTs Day, the Serbs, the Montenegrians, the Macedonian Slavs, the Greeks connect the name of the given loaf with the name of this Christian saint, for instance: Serbian eaCLUi bima, Macedonian Bacajibeea nozaua , Greek PaGionrzza. However investigators of the origin of this term Margaret M. Hasluck and following her T. Djordjevich established the connection of the origin of the term with the archaic Macedonian ceremonies from the northem Greece where by sharing the cake half-mythical a person - the king (basileus) - was taken into consideration².

In the South Morava river region, in Kosovo, in the Nisava and Pchinja rivers region, in Skopje’s Hollow (Skopska Kotlina), and also near Bulgarian town Kyustendil, to the South from Sofia, in the Pirin and Rhodope mcuntains regions for the cake with a coin or some other tokens (for good luck during the next year) special Christmas terminology doesn’t exist. The corresponding lexical units coincide with the names of any (ritual) bread, for example, Serbian Kpaeaj, Bulgarian Kpaeau, Macedonian Kpaeaaue, Serbian, Bulgarian, Macedonian nozaua, Bulgarian kojiclk, nura, numKa etc.³

In the aspect of ethnodialectal research of Slavic areas on the Balkans it is of interest to notice the distribution of the names of Christmas cakes identical by the form, moulding and ornament with the bread for the ceremony in honour of the saint-patron of the household (Serbian Cjiaea, K pcno liMe, Bulgarian Ceemeu). The Serbs in the Morava and the Danube rivers region name the cake of this type 6o?kukhh kojiclh, and morę rarely KOJiau, eejlUKU KOJiau, naj eeniL KOJiau. It is characterized by clearly expressed Christianized symbolic as ornament on its surface shows. However ceremoniał cakes KOJiau, eeniLKU KOJiau, najeena KOJiau and some other similar ones combine Christianized symbolic with clearly expressed pre-Christian magical traits attested in ornament and decoration the cakes topped with. So, in Vojvodina eeJiUKU KOJiau was embellished not only with communion bread with the cross ornament and inscription in honour of Jesus Christ but also with variable plastic shapes of ears, sheaves, vines, poultry, cattle⁴,

² Margaret M. Hasluck, The Basil-cake of the Greek New Year, “Folk-Lore”, London, vol. 38, N° 2, p. 143-177; T. Djordjević; Yasilica, “Na5 narodni źivot”, Belgrad, 1931, vol. 4, p. 82-97

³1. A. Sedakova, K opisaniju leksiki i simvoliki svjatoćno-novogodnej obrjadnosti bolgar. Roidestvenskie obrjadoyye di u by. “Sovetskoe slavjanovedenie”, Moscow, 1984, N* 1, p. 86.

⁴M. Bosić, Boiitni obitaji u Vojvodini, Belgrad - Novi Sad, 1985, p. 48.