Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bulgarians associate Day of St. Anthony with protection from diseases

Photo: library

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of St. Anthony the Great, one of the first Christian hermits and founder of monasticism. He was born in Egypt in the year 251 and lived for 105 years. After a long spiritual struggle he achieved holiness and received the gift of healing from God.

Bulgarians call the day Antonovden. More than 80,000 people with the names of Anton, Antonia, as well as those named Andon, Donika, Doncho, Donka, Dona, Toncho, Tonka, Tonko, Tonya, Tony celebrate today.

In the folk calendar, Antonovden is associated with rituals performed for protection against diseases. According to legends, St. Anthony and St. Athanasius were brothers, who invented the blacksmith tongs. Therefore, the Day of St. Athanasius follows Antonovden and all blacksmiths and ironworkers celebrate.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The Christian family strengthens our relationship with God

The Feast of the Epiphany - the entry of the Theotokos into the Temple - is one of the oldest and most revered feasts in the Orthodox world. It was introduced in Constantinople around the 8th century during the time of Patriarch Tarasius. It was six..

published on 11/21/24 7:30 AM

Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv marks 130th anniversary of the birth of Dimitar Peshev

The Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv , Israel, today commemorates the 130th anniversary of the birth of Dimitar Peshev, a righteous man of the nations of the world, deputy chairman of the 25th National Assembly of Bulgaria, the Bulgarian..

published on 11/20/24 2:21 PM
The Captain's Memorial

The Bulgarian Land Forces celebrate their holiday

The Bulgarian Land Forces are celebrating their holiday today. A statement from the Ministry of Defense's press center notes that November 19, 2024 marks 139 years since the glorious victory at Slivnitsa and 146 years since the establishment of..

published on 11/19/24 9:17 AM