Traditional Bulgarian Calendar

October 26th St. Dimitrius Day

Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates

St. Demetrius on October 26. It honors the memory of St.

Demetrius. It is believed that he was proconsul of Thessaloniki and died a

martir for his faith in Christ on October 26, 306.

Legends

The Popular cult of St. Demetrius is that he is the older brother of St. George. According to folk traditions of this day it is celebrated as the first winter holiday. In the minds of our ancestors St.Dimitar rides a white horse, and snowflakes fall from his white beard. Widely spread is the saying that St. George brings the Summer and St. Demetrius brings the winter. As St. Dimitrius is known to bring the winter and cold the saint is associated with the world of the dead.

Feast

The table for St. Demetrius Day is rich. There is a lot of meat. The mandatory meals to attend the festival are: sacrifice of a sheep or baked Rooster stew, or a stew of lamb, stuffed peppers and an apple cake.

It is imperative to have red wine and water at the table.

November 1 – The Day of the Enlightment Leadres

The Day of the Enlighment Leaders is a Bulgarian national holiday which is celebrated each year on November 1st . On it we honor the memory of the Bulgarians who gave us the alphabet, the writings of faith and national confidence, and the revolutionaries.

Among the most popular Bulgarian Enlightment Leaders are: St. Cyril and Methodius, St. Hilendar, St. Ivan Rilski, Ivan Vazov, Hristo Botev, Vasil Levski and many others.

November 8th St. Michaelmas Day

St. Michaelmas Day is a Christian holiday that is celebrated each year on 8th November to honor the "conciliar unity of the angelic ranks." The holiday is also known as the Festival of St. Archangel Michael and other heavenly ethereal forces.

According to Bulgarian folk belief Archangel Michael as the angel of death. He comes to take your soul at the end of your world journey.

November 30th

St. Andrew’s Day

On this day – 30th November – Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Andrew the Apostle.In northern Bulgaria wecelebrate this day in honor of the bears, it is believed that St. Andrew is their master.According to a popular legend, the saint harnessed the bear to

plow land.

December 6th St. Nikolas Day

St. Nicholas is the Orthodox feast of St. Nicholas Mirlikiyski – The patron saint of sailors, travelers and bankers. In Bulgaria, the holiday is marked as a name day of people whose names are derived or close to the name Nicholas - Nicholas Neycho, Nikolina, Nicoletta, Nikola and others.The traditional food for the holiday is stuffed crab with nuts and vegetables.

Feast

The Day is a nation wide celebration and is celebrated in all

Bulgarian families. The traditional dishes on the festive table are diferent fish

dishes, ceremonial bread, dried fruits, most often - carp stuffed with walnuts.

December 9th - Conception of St. Anna. Celebration of motherhood

This is a religious holiday. As a mother of Mary St.Anna protects the family, virginity, pregnantwomen and widows.This holiday is also known asWinter St. Anna, Anina or conception.RighteousJoachim and Anna had no children for a long time.Their desire and their prayers to God were so sincere and dedicated, that God finally fulfilledtheir request. One day, while Anna worked in thegarden an angel appeared and said: "Hannahwould bear a daughter and you will call her Mary".

After nine months - September 8th - The family was brightened with a girl, the mother of Jesus.

December 20th Ignazhden

The people believe that the New Year and the Christmas holiday startfrom Ignajden. In the eastern parts of Bulgaria the first Christmas dinner isat this day. The table is set with meatless meals only. The most popular thing for that holiday is the ritual "polazwane" (crawling). Itdepends on whoever enters in the house on Ignajden what the next year would belike. If the man who enters first is a good man there will be luck and success ineverything in the house during the whole next year. If that someone is not a luckyman there will not be welfare for the home and especially for the economy duringthe year. If the man is good and he has had happiness in the previous year, thehosts give the man their blessing and invite him or her to be their spolaznik (theman who enters the house first) next year as well. In case the spolaznik is bad andbrings unhappiness and unfortune to the house during the whole year they sendhim off with curses: "I wish your leg was broken so that you couldn't come." "I wishyou had gone blind so that you couldn't see the door.".

Christmas Eve – December 24The Christmas celebrations start on 24th December and continue until Stefanovden. For mostpeople the Small Christmas is a bigger holiday than the following ones because that is theevening of Christ's birth. Children are the ones that enjoy it the most. Christmas Eve is thefirst censed evening. The most important traditions are the budnik, the table with ritual breads,the Christmas meals and the ritual singing of Christmas carols- koleduvane. The budnik is an oakor a pear treecut and brought home by a young man to keep the fire up throughout the night.Bringing it in the man asks: "Do you praise the young God?" The women answer: "We praisehim, we praise him! Welcome!" The man adds: "I am home and God iswith me!" From the tree that has been cut for the budnik people make stakes for fencing the fields, toprotect them from being robbed by tramps and magicians.  There are three kinds of ritual breads:real Christmas breads (bogovitsa, kolak, svetets (saint), krustash, pogacha), reads made byhosts (gumno, kolak, kashara, cherkovnik, bachva, bojichnik, ralo) and Christmas breads (kravaj )This is the first day of Christnas and the last of the year for which people say that encloses thecircle. Families gahter onthe table with meat meals on it, sing songs and have fun. In some partsof Bulgaria the young families visit their firstwitnesses, godfathers and parents. In other placesthe holidays of the mice start at that day and continue untilKrustovden. The restrictions that are specific for the holiday Mrasnite dni (the Dirty days) arestrongly observed.   

December 25th Nativity Day

Nativity is one of the biggest Christian holidays. At its base it is

the birth of Christ the Savior. For this happy event we read in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2. On 25th December from dawn women prepare for the holiday. Particular attention is paid to the preparation of the ritual bread – bloodless sacrifice for the holy day. Dressed in festive attire, they replaced the ritual bread.

Koleduvane

The holiday is a continuation of Christmas Eve, because it starts

from midnight with the custom. It involved only men.

December 27th  - St. Stephen’s Day

St. Stephen - St. Stephen's Day is celebrated onthe third day after Christmas – December 27. Thecult of the saint is a great tribute to him – too. St.Stephen is the firs martyr (protomartyr) becauseitis one of the first victims of the Christian faith.

This is the third day of Christnas and the lastof the year for which people say that "encloses thecircle". Families gahter on the table with meatmeals on it, sing songs and have fun. In someparts of Bulgaria the young families visit their firstwitnesses, godfathers and parents. In other

placesThe holidays of the mice start at that day andcontinue until Krustovden. The restrictions that arespecific for the holiday Mrasnite dni (the Dirtydays) are strongly observed.

January 1st - NEW YEAR DAY

On 1st January - New Year - is traditional for survakane. Survakari are just young men who united in groups with a guide, and go from house to wish Songs called health and wellbeing of families.

On this day is organized and mummers council. Young and old dress in costumes, masks and began to chase away evil spirits.Mummer's games and rituals are performed only by men, mostly bachelors.

January 1 – Vasilovden

The very first day of New Year starts with name day. Celebrate Vasil, Teodora, Vasya. According to popular tradition the evening of the first of January to collect the girls of the square dance. Most personal maid be selected Vasil. While playing people to sing songs and spills wine Vassila carries copper full of water, in which each girl brought her and left wrist. Wrist is usually made of boxwood, cornel twigs tied with red thread. As a mark put gold coins, rings, beads. After the festive dance all go home, and copper with wrists left out of the night under the stars. If water freezes in copper, the year will be fertile and people and animals will be healthy.

January 6th

According to the traditions at this day the Dirty days (Mrasnite Dni). are chasedaway. The priest "christens" water by putting a cross into it. With a cauldron full ofthat sanctified water and a bunch of basil he goes around the homes of people andsprinkles it. The hosts drop coins into the cauldron and give flour, beans and woolto the preist. Kids can go along with the priests to carry the giftst. They are calledcats. It is believed that with the sanctifying of the water and its sprinkling around thedirty days and all the different ghostsand evil spirits are chased away. It brings health if you dring from the sanctified water, so everybody does it at thisday. Peopleeat meatless foodThis holiday is a part of the Christmas holiday cycle and some kind of a connectionbetween the New Year and St.Jordan's day. People have their own ordinances for Epiphany. The evening before the holidaypeople put steam or cross in white boiler and am guessing: if the water is frozen,the year will be healthy and happy, if not frozen - it is expected that a bad year.

Epiphany or St. Jordan’s Day

Removing cross on the Danube river in Lom.

January 7th St. John's Day

On this holiday the ritual bathing from St. Jordan's Day continues. All over theplace the godfather or the brother-in-law baths the young couple. The lads goround the houses and bath the people celebrating their name day, the lasses andthe young men. If a person does not want to be bathed, he or she can redeemhimself or herself.

 In folk beliefs St. John is protector of the godfather and brotherhood. This is the reason whyfamilies stay with their godfathers on this day. On St. John disguised groups of people from theNew Year's Day cease going around.

 In some places carol singers take the tsar away to the riverbank and bath him. Then he standstreat and the men disguise as bears, bride, Negroes, etc. After the treat all people play a folk holiday dance with which the Christmas festive cycle is put to an end.    

Church Holiday: It is celebrated in honour of John the Baptist who points at Jesus as themessenger of God. John the Baptist is called the Forerunner because he predicts Jesus‘coming on earth.     

Ritual Table: dried fruit compote, pie with cheese, boiled wheat, beans, black pudding, bakedflat sausage, pig's ribs with cabbage.  

January 8th Grandmother’s Day

Grandmother‘s Day is one of thegreatest female folk festivals dedicatedto the "grandmas" - women who help atbirth. The rituals on this day is mainly governed by the desire to Witness, honor and respect older women who have "assisted in childbirth".

This holiday is pagan, and comes from the distant Slavic times, but has survived during time. InRenaissance it was extremely honored.

January 18 Athanasius’ Day

The holiday is connected with the New Year's traditions. According tothebelief St. Atanas is one of the saints who divide the earth and thesky.The snow and the ice have fallen to his lot. At this day he puts on a silkshirt, he goes to the mountain and shouts: "Winter, go away, come,summer". This is where the other name of the holiday, Sredi zima(Midwinter),comes from. In the Southwest part of Bulgaria, Atanasovden,As well as, Antonovden is honored as a holiday of blacksmiths andcutlers as well as of the plaque. A black hen is slaughtered to protectpeople from deseases, ritual bread is baked and broken into pieces witha fork, to prevent children from catching the small-pox and the pieces ofbread are given away to the neighbors. The feathers of the hen are keptsave because it is believed that they possess curing powers. Womenobserve the same restrictions as on Antonovden. Ritual sacrifices aregiven on this day in order to bring health In some parts of the countryyoung people gather on the meadows and play horo, swing andsing songs.Church Holiday: St. Atanasii the Great took part in the ecumencialfair inNikea and later he became archbishop of Alexanria. He was called "theGreat" because of his defeat over the priest Arii, who denied theconsubtantiality of the God Father and the God - Son.He is alsocalled"the father of Orthodox".

Winter holidays in the Bulgarian calendar

In the traditional Bulgarian calendar winter holidays are much more than other seasonal

holidays. This is related to the lifestyle and working habits of the agricultural society of

the Bulgarians for centuries.

Christmas at school "Constantine Fotinov” Lom