Folk medicine was based on herbalism. In every village there were ‘grandmothers’, ‘witches’ (women) or ‘whisperers’ (women and men). These were people dedicated to healing the sick and warding off evil spells. It was believed that only the eldest of the siblings (the first-born) could practice this profession. However, by calling them this, the people …
After returning from church, the wedding procession headed back to the bride’s house. There the bride and groom were welcomed by their parents, already married. The mother and father went out to the front door with bread, salt and vodka and served the bride and groom. While doing so, the mother would say and ask …
Births decades ago, in villages in our area, looked very different than today. Most births took place at home, with the help of so-called “grandmother-acushers.” Sometimes women gave birth on their own. If the birth was complicated an attempt was made to bring in a doctor. Men usually left the house during labor, and did …
