Batalo Tumaro Djurdan!

I woke up this morning to a laptop being placed on my stomach and my Gypsy man enthusiastically telling me "Batalo to Djurdan! Look at this video!" I was a little confused since waking up is process that usually takes at least half an hour for me, but I enjoyed the video in my half-sleep.

(I don't know why it's not embedding, but see the video HERE.)

It was made in the neighborhood where he grew up, just two years after his family moved away, and shows the festivities for Djurdan--short for Djurdjevdan, an important Roma holiday, which is also called Herdelezi. I've been telling my in-laws Batalo to Djurdan (Happy Djurdan) on May 6 for the last few years and hearing about the good old days when everyone would dress up, go out to a big field, dance, and eat pita and lamb freshly slaughtered by a neighbor--but this morning I could not remember exactly what it was all about.

"Remind me what Djurdan is for?" I asked.
"It's a holiday!"
"Yeah, but for what?
Well, I've noticed that in Roma culture, the fact of a holiday and an opportunity to celebrate is often more important  than its origins or explanations. They find it easier and more interesting to articulate the memories than the rationale. So my Gypsy man had me read this to gain a better understanding. I think it's fascinating that this holiday (not unique to the Roma, but very important to them) has roots both in Christian and Muslim traditions.

I love the mood of the second song that starts at 2:36 and the child's voice. It's crazy for me to think that this was 1994--I was probably playing foursquare at recess and keeping notes in my pink and purple Trapper Keeper with dolphins on it, and I had no clue about a little boy from this other universe who was going to ask me out on a date when we had both grown up. Watching the video makes me feel strangely nostalgic. I love having a connection to this black and white recording of a place that really doesn't exist anymore. All those people left, some even died in the war. I think it's nice to remember their holiday. I want to understand it even more.