Post by Caslav Klonimirovic on Oct 19, 2009 0:41:37 GMT -5
Shopi Anecdotes and proverbs ;D ;D ;D
The Shopi in literature and anecdotes
The Shopi — especially those from near Sofia — have the widespread (and arguably unjustified) reputation of stubborn and selfish people[citation needed]. There are lots of proverbs and anecdotes about them, more than about all other regional groups in Bulgaria.
A distinguished writer from the region is Elin Pelin who actually wrote some comic short stories and poems in the dialect.
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От Искаро по-длибоко нема, от Витоша по-високо нема!.
(Ot Iskaro po dliboko nema, ot Vitoša po-visoko nema.)
(English: There is nothing deeper than the Iskar River, and nothing higher than the Vitosha Mountain.)
On the one hand, it means that the Shopi refuse to acknowledge other countries' virtues; but on the other this is a clear example of their patriotism.
Once a Shop went to the zoo and saw the giraffe. He watched it in amazement and finally said:
Е, те такова животно нема!
(E, te takova životno nema!)
(English: There is no such animal!)
So even seeing the truth with his own eyes, he or she refuses to acknowledge it.
Once a Shop went to the city, saw aromatic soaps on a stand and, thinking that they were something to eat, bought a piece. He began to eat it but soon his mouth was filled with foam. He said:
Пеняви се, не пеняви, пари съм давал, че го ядем.
(Penjavi se, ne se penjavi, pari sǎm daval, èe go jadem)
(English: Foam or not, it cost money, I shall eat it.)
When money is spent, even unpleasant things should be endured.
How was the gorge of the Iskǎr River formed? As the story goes, in ancient times the Sofia Valley was a lake, surrounded with mountains. The ancient Shopi were fishermen. One day, while fishing with his boat one of them bent over in order to take his net out of the water. But the boat was floating towards the nearby rocks on the slope of the Balkan Mountains. Consequently the Shop hit his head on the rocks and the entire mountain split into two. The lake flew out and the gorge was formed.
There is a saying throughout Bulgaria that the Shopi's heads are wooden
(дървена шопска глава, dǎrvena šopska glava), meaning they are too stubborn. Interestingly, in Romania there is such saying about Bulgarians in general.
View of a cloud-covered Sofia Valley from VitoshaOnce upon a time three Shopi climbed on top of the Vitosha Mountain. There was a thick fog in the valley so they thought it was cotton. They jumped down and perished.
This is to show three points: the Shopi are not very smart after all; Vitosha is very high; and, as a serious point, it is common to see Vitosha standing over low clouds shrouding the high plains and valleys of Western Bulgaria; this is a temperature inversion.
Another example of the Shopi's stubbornness: Once, in the middle of summer, a Shop wore a very thick coat. When asked if it wasn't too hot, he answered: It's not because of the coat but because of the weather.
The Shopi had a reputation of being good soldiers nevertheless there was a proverb: "A Shop will only fight if he can see the roof of his house from the battlefield", meaning he will only fight if he can see his personal interests in the fight. A proverb that wants to demonstrate the Shopi's selfishness.
In other parts of Bulgaria all locals from Sofia are called, somewhat scornfully, "Shopi", although the majority of the city's population are not descendants of the real vernacular minority but of migrants from other regions.
In addition, in other parts of Bulgaria there exists the use of the derisive form "Shopar" for Shop and "Shoparism" for untidy, outdated or primitive circumstances (which show some similarity to the employ of the term "Hillbilly" in the USA)
The Shopi in literature and anecdotes
The Shopi — especially those from near Sofia — have the widespread (and arguably unjustified) reputation of stubborn and selfish people[citation needed]. There are lots of proverbs and anecdotes about them, more than about all other regional groups in Bulgaria.
A distinguished writer from the region is Elin Pelin who actually wrote some comic short stories and poems in the dialect.
---------------------------------------------------------
От Искаро по-длибоко нема, от Витоша по-високо нема!.
(Ot Iskaro po dliboko nema, ot Vitoša po-visoko nema.)
(English: There is nothing deeper than the Iskar River, and nothing higher than the Vitosha Mountain.)
On the one hand, it means that the Shopi refuse to acknowledge other countries' virtues; but on the other this is a clear example of their patriotism.
Once a Shop went to the zoo and saw the giraffe. He watched it in amazement and finally said:
Е, те такова животно нема!
(E, te takova životno nema!)
(English: There is no such animal!)
So even seeing the truth with his own eyes, he or she refuses to acknowledge it.
Once a Shop went to the city, saw aromatic soaps on a stand and, thinking that they were something to eat, bought a piece. He began to eat it but soon his mouth was filled with foam. He said:
Пеняви се, не пеняви, пари съм давал, че го ядем.
(Penjavi se, ne se penjavi, pari sǎm daval, èe go jadem)
(English: Foam or not, it cost money, I shall eat it.)
When money is spent, even unpleasant things should be endured.
How was the gorge of the Iskǎr River formed? As the story goes, in ancient times the Sofia Valley was a lake, surrounded with mountains. The ancient Shopi were fishermen. One day, while fishing with his boat one of them bent over in order to take his net out of the water. But the boat was floating towards the nearby rocks on the slope of the Balkan Mountains. Consequently the Shop hit his head on the rocks and the entire mountain split into two. The lake flew out and the gorge was formed.
There is a saying throughout Bulgaria that the Shopi's heads are wooden
(дървена шопска глава, dǎrvena šopska glava), meaning they are too stubborn. Interestingly, in Romania there is such saying about Bulgarians in general.
View of a cloud-covered Sofia Valley from VitoshaOnce upon a time three Shopi climbed on top of the Vitosha Mountain. There was a thick fog in the valley so they thought it was cotton. They jumped down and perished.
This is to show three points: the Shopi are not very smart after all; Vitosha is very high; and, as a serious point, it is common to see Vitosha standing over low clouds shrouding the high plains and valleys of Western Bulgaria; this is a temperature inversion.
Another example of the Shopi's stubbornness: Once, in the middle of summer, a Shop wore a very thick coat. When asked if it wasn't too hot, he answered: It's not because of the coat but because of the weather.
The Shopi had a reputation of being good soldiers nevertheless there was a proverb: "A Shop will only fight if he can see the roof of his house from the battlefield", meaning he will only fight if he can see his personal interests in the fight. A proverb that wants to demonstrate the Shopi's selfishness.
In other parts of Bulgaria all locals from Sofia are called, somewhat scornfully, "Shopi", although the majority of the city's population are not descendants of the real vernacular minority but of migrants from other regions.
In addition, in other parts of Bulgaria there exists the use of the derisive form "Shopar" for Shop and "Shoparism" for untidy, outdated or primitive circumstances (which show some similarity to the employ of the term "Hillbilly" in the USA)