Koledari

Koliadari are Slavic traditional performers of a ceremony called celebration of Koliada, a kind of Christmas caroling.

This type of caroling is called "kolędowanie" in Poland [kɔlɛndɔˈvaɲɛ] ⓘ, "коледуване" (koleduvane) in Bulgaria, "colindat" in Romania, "колядування" (koliaduvannia) in Ukraine [kɔlʲɐdʊˈʋanʲːɐ] ⓘ, "koledování" in Czechia and "коледарење" (koledarenje) or "коледе" (kolede) in North Macedonia.

The time for the koleduvane is strictly defined by tradition - from midnight to dawn on Christmas Eve.

In North Macedonia, the caroling starts early in the morning on 6 January, which is the Christmas Eve or known in Macedonian as Badnik.

The face, however, could be made separately out of a dried gourd shell or a piece of wood, and then sewn to hide so that the mask could cover all the head.

The moustache, beard, and eyebrows were made with black wool, horsehair, or hemp fibers, and the teeth with beans.

[2][4] The koledari sung special songs, in which the word koledo, the vocative case of koleda, was inserted in the middle and at the end of each verse.

They looked everywhere, at the same time shouting, dancing, jumping, knocking on the floor and walls with sticks, and teasing Bride.

In some communities the ancient Ukrainian tradition of caroling is carried on by groups of young people and members of organizations and churches calling at homes and collecting donations.