"Ederlezi" is a popular traditional folk song of the Roma minority in the Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...

.

The song got its name after Ederlezi which is a Spring festival, especially celebrated by Roma people in the Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 and elsewhere around the world. This holiday celebrates the return of springtime. Ederlezi is the Romani name for the Bulgarian

Bulgarian language

Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...

 and Serbian

Serbian language

Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....

 Feast of Saint George. It's celebrated on (occurring approximately 40 days after the spring equinox). The various Balkan spellings (Herdeljez, Erdelezi) are variants of the Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...

 Hıdırellez, a holiday signaling the beginning of spring, occurring on the same day.

The former Yugoslav

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

 rock band Bijelo Dugme

Bijelo dugme

Bijelo dugme was a highly influential former Yugoslav rock band, based in Sarajevo. Active between 1974 and 1989, it is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav rock...

 released a cover version

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of this song in Serbo-Croatian

Serbo-Croatian

Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...

 using the same melody, but with very different lyrics. Under the title "Đurđevdan je a ja nisam s onom koju volim" which is featured on their album Ćiribiribela

Ciribiribela

Ćiribiribela is the ninth and final studio album released by Yugoslav rock group Bijelo dugme.Ćiribiribela is critically considered to have been Bijelo dugme's best album in their fifteen year carrier...

from 1988. There is also another song's version made by Kroke

Kroke

KROKE – A Kraków instrumental ensemble of the world music genre. The band's name in Yiddish means Kraków.The band was founded in 1992 by three friends and graduates of the Academy of Music in Kraków. Initially, they were associated with klezmer music with strong Balkan influences...

. "Ederlezi" has been used for the movie Time of the Gypsies

Time of the Gypsies

Time of the Gypsies is a 1988 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Emir Kusturica. Filmed in Romani and Serbian, Time of the Gypsies tells the story of a young Romani man with magical powers who is tricked into engaging in petty crime...

by Emir Kusturica

Emir Kusturica

Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...

, in Goran Bregović

Goran Bregovic

Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...

's version (titled "Ederlezi (Scena Djurdjevdana Na Rijeci)"), which actually made the song famous. It was performed by the Macedonian singer Vaska Jankovska, whose unique voice contributed to its success. The song also appeared in the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, often referred to simply as Borat, is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and distributed by 20th Century Fox...

, although it has no connection to the authentic music of Kazakhstan

Music of Kazakhstan

The modern state of Kazakhstan is home to the Kazakh State Kurmangazy Orchestra of Folk Instruments, the Kazakh State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kazakh National Opera and the Kazakh State Chamber Orchestra. The folk instrument orchestra was named after Kurmangazy Sagyrbayuly, a famous composer and...

, as "Ederlezi (Scena Djurdjevdana Na Rijeci)". The text in the brackets means, in Serbian: The scene of Đurđevdan on the river - that is a description of the movie scene of Đurđevdan celebration on a river in the movie Time of the Gypsies where that song was used. Sacha Baron Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen

Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...

's movie doesn't have a Đurđevdan river scene. The song title (and description) was taken from Kusturica's movie soundtrack. In both soundtrack album

Soundtrack album

A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...

s – Time of the Gypsies

Time of the Gypsies / Kuduz - Soundtrack

A soundtrack by Goran Bregović for Emir Kusturica's 1988 film Time of the Gypsies .-Track listing:# Ederlezi# Scena pojavljivanja majke# Scena Perhanove pogibije# Kustino oro# Borino oro# Glavna tema# Tango# Pjesma# Talijanska...

and Stereophonic Musical Listenings That Have Been Origin in Moving Film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" – it was credited to Goran Bregović

Goran Bregovic

Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...

, although he is not the author nor the singer of the song on these albums. However, he is the arranger of the song. Bregović also recorded a version with Polish

Polish language

Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...

 lyrics, titled "Nie ma, nie ma ciebie", together with Polish singer Kayah

Kayah (singer)

Katarzyna Rooijens , professionally known as Kayah, is a Polish singer-songwriter. She began her career with her 1995 album Kamień and established herself as one of the most successful Polish singers with her further releases, including Zebra and Kayah i Bregović...

. The band Beirut (band)

Beirut (band)

Beirut is an American band which was originally the solo musical project of Santa Fe native Zachary Francis Condon, and later expanded into a band. The band's first performances were in Wollaston, United Kingdom, in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar...

 also does a cover of Ederlezi.

A version with Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 lyrics, titled "Tou Ai Giorgi" ("Saint George's", Greek: "Του Αη Γιώργη"), was also recorded by Bregović together with Greek singer Alkistis Protopsalti

Alkistis Protopsalti

Alkistis Protopsalti , born as Alkistis Sevasti Attikuzel ) is a Greek singer.- Early life :Alkistis Protopsalti was born in 18 October 1954 in Alexandria, Egypt by Egyptiot parents....

  in 1991. The Greek lyrics are credited to Lina Nikolakopoulou

Lina Nikolakopoulou

Evangelia Nikolakopoulou is widely recognised as one of the foremost lyricists in Greece. She was born in Methana at June 30, 1958 and she studied social and political sciences at the Panteion University in Athens. This is where she met the composer Stamatis Kraounakis, who is the man that she...

.

Bulgarian group Ku-ku band with lead singer Slavi Trifonov released the song in their several albums with all Bulgarian lyrics ("Гергьовден", Gergyovden, St. George's day) , Serbo-Bulgarian lyrics ("Свети Георги", Sveti Georgi, St. George) and Roma-Serbo-Bulgarian lyrics ("Erdelezi").

Turkish singer Sezen Aksu

Sezen Aksu

Sezen Aksu is a Turkish pop music singer, song-writer and producer who sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" and Minik Serçe ....

 released the song in her album named "Düğün ve Cenaze" (Wedding and Funeral) with Turkish lyrics ("Hıdrellez

Hidrellez

Hıdırellez or Hıdrellez is celebrated as the day on which Prophets Hızır and Ilyas met on the earth. Hıdırellez starts on May 5 night and falls on May 6 in the Gregorian calendar and April 23 in the Julian calendar...

") in 1997. Lyrics were adapted by Sezen Aksu and Pakize Barışta.

A Yugoslavian version was released by the folk-punk musical group the No Smoking Orchestra, on their album, Time Of The Gypsies, Punk Opera, released in 2007.

Lyrics

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!Lyrics in Romani

Romani language

Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....

||English translation||Bijelo Dugme's cover||English Translation||
|-
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Sa me amala oro khelena

Oro khelena, dive kerena

Sa o Roma daje

Sa o Roma babo babo

Sa o Roma o daje

Sa o Roma babo babo

Ederlezi, Ederlezi

Sa o Roma daje

Sa o Roma babo, e bakren chinen

A me, chorro, dural beshava

Romano dive, amaro dive

Amaro dive, Ederlezi

E devado babo, amenge bakro

Sa o Roma babo, e bakren chinen

Sa o Roma babo babo

Sa o Roma o daje

Sa o Roma babo babo

Ederlezi, Ederlezi

Sa o Roma daje

|width="25%"|
All my friends are dancing the oro

Dancing the oro, celebrating the day

All the Roma, mommy

All the Roma, dad, dad

All the Roma, oh mommy

All the Roma, dad, dad

Ederlezi, Ederlezi

All the Roma, mommy

All the Roma, dad, slaughter lambs

But me, poor, I am sitting apart

A Romany day, our day

Our day, Ederlezi

They give, Dad, a lamb for us

All the Roma, dad, slaughter lambs

All the Roma, dad, dad

All the Roma, oh mommy

All the Roma, dad, dad

Ederlezi, Ederlezi

All the Roma, mommy

|width="25%"|
Proljeće na moje rame slijeće

Đurđevak zeleni

Đurđevak zeleni

Svima osim meni

Drugovi odoše a ja osta

Nema zvijezde danice

Nema zvijezde danice

Moje saputnice

Ej kome sada moja draga

Na đurđevak miriše

Na đurđevak miriše

Meni nikad više

Evo zore evo zore

Bogu da se pomolim

Evo zore evo zore

Ej đurđevdan je

A ja nisam s onom koju volim

Njeno ime neka se spominje

Svakog drugog dana

Svakog drugog dana

Osim đurđevdana

|width="25%"|

Spring is landing on my shoulder

Lily of the valley is sprouting

Lily of the valley is sprouting

For everyone, except for me

The friends are gone, but I've stayed

There is no Morning Star

There is no Morning Star

My fellow-traveler

Hey, to whom does my darling now

Smells of the lily of the valley

Smells of the lily of the valley

To me never again


Here comes the sunrise,

here comes the sunrise

So I can pray to God

Here comes the sunrise,

here comes the sunrise

Hey it's St George's day

And I am not with the one I love

Let her name be mentioned

On every other day

On every other day

Except on St George's day

|-

{|width="50%"
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!Greek cover||English Translation||Bulgarian cover||English translation||
|-
|width="25%"|
Απ' τους ώμους να, η Άνοιξη περνά,

γύρω φτερουγίζει,

ξεχνάει εμένα.

Μέρα της χαράς ποια ζωή φοράς;

Δρόμο δρόμο παίρνεις

χωρίς εμένα.

Του ουρανού πουλιά πάρτε με αγκαλιά

το βουνό γεμίζει κεριά αναμμένα

Nα κι η Πούλια ξημερώνει το Θεό παρακαλώ

μα το φως που δυναμώνει

δε μου φέρνει

δε μου φέρνει

'κείνον που αγαπώ.


Το όνομα του ανθός, ευωδιάς βυθός,

πείτε στα κορίτσια να μην το λένε

μέρα σαν κι αυτή στ' Άη Γιωργιού τ' αφτί,

που όλα τα τραγούδια για αγάπη κλαίνε.

|width="25%"|

Look over the shoulders, spring passes,

flutters all around,

it forgets me

Day of joy, which life do you carry?

Υou take the road

without me.

Birds of sky, take me in your embrace

the mountain fills with lit candles

There it is the morning star, it’s breaking, I beg God

but the light which becomes stronger

it doesn’t bring me

it doesn’t bring me

the man that I love.

His name (is) flower, depth of perfume

tell to the girls not to say that

On the day like this one, at Saint George’s ear

where all the songs weep for love.

|width="25%"|
Пролетта на рамото ми кацна,

жива и зелена,(x2)

скоро е Гергьовден.

Слънце пак мечтите съживява,

млади и горещи,(x2)

скоро е Гергьовден.


Припев:

Е-е-е-е-е-е-е Свети Георги ще помолим

с нас по пътя да върви,

Свети Георги, тебе молим е-е-е-е

дай ни сила с наш'та орис пак да се преборим!


Други пътища ще ни повикат,

заедно ще тръгнем,(х2)

дойде ли Гергьовден.

И над нас звезди ще се посипят,

мъката ще скрият,(х2)

дойде ли Гергьовден.


Припев: (х3)

|width="25%"|

Spring landed on my shoulder,

alive and green,(x2)

it is St. George's day soon.

Sun revives the dreams again,

young and hot,(x2)

it is St. George's day soon.


Chorus:

E-e-e-e-e St. George we're going to ask

to walk with us on the road,

St. George, we're begging you e-e-e-e-e-e

give us strength with our fate to fight again!


Other roads will call us,

we will go together,(x2)

when St. George's day comes.

And stars will strew over us,

they will hide the grief,(x2)

when St. George's day comes.


Chorus: (x3)
|}

{|width="100%"
|-
!Turkish cover||English Translation||
|-
|width="25%"|
Bahar oldu aman

Al kese astım gül dalına

Adadım yarin adına

İki göz oda


Dağ yeşil, dallar yeşil

Uyandılar bayrama

Her gönül şen

Bir benim bahtım kara


Kokuyor buram buram

Fulyalar, vakit tamam

Bir bana uğramadı

Bu bahar bayram


Ağlama hıdrellez

Ağlama be bana

Acı ektim yerine

Aşk yeşerecek, yeşerecek

Başka bahara


Ne yolu var, ne izi

Tanıdık değil yüzü

Dileğim Allah'tan

Aşk sözün özü


Sevdiğim yok, eşim yok

Ağardı bir gün daha

Ey benim şans yıldızım

Gülümse bana

|width="25%"|

The spring has come,

I've put up a red pouch on a rose's branch,

I've vowed a house with two rooms

In the name of the lover


The mountain is green, the branches are green

They woke up for the bayram

Bayram (Turkey)

Bayram is the Turkic word for a nationally celebrated festival or holiday, applicable to both national or religious celebrations...

 

All hearts are happy

Only my fate is black


Jonquils are smelling everywhere,

It's time.

This spring, I'm the only one

To whom bayram has not confronted


Don't cry hıdrellez

Hidrellez

Hıdırellez or Hıdrellez is celebrated as the day on which Prophets Hızır and Ilyas met on the earth. Hıdırellez starts on May 5 night and falls on May 6 in the Gregorian calendar and April 23 in the Julian calendar...

Don't cry for me

I've sowed pain, and instead of it,

Love will sprout, will sprout

In another spring.


He/She has neither a way (known) nor a trace

His/Her face is not familiar

The long and short of it,

My wish from the God is, love.


I don't have anyone I love, I don't have a spouse

One more day has dawned.

O my star of luck!

Smile to me

|}