On January 18, the Orthodox Church revers the memory of St. Athanasius the Great. According to popular belief, St. Athanasius is a patron of winter storms. On horseback, donned in a silk shirt, goes St. Athanasius into the forest and yells, “Go away, yo, winter, come, thee, summer!” And according to the Bulgarian popular belief, he does that each year on January 18, and that is why it is known as the Winter Atanasovden or Amidst Winter in the popular calendar.
It is said that from January 18 the day begins to grow by one millet seed. In some regions of the country people used to believe that plague was born on this day. To protect themselves from the deadly disease, people used to sacrifice a black hen to prepare a ritual meal.
Atanas, Atanaska, Nasko, Tina, Tinka, Tanyu, Taska celebrate their name day today.
Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Thessaloniki, the Bulgarian Patriarchate announced. The two discussed the centuries-old spiritual ties between the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Orthodox..
On September 22, 1908, Prince Ferdinand I proclaimed Bulgaria’s independence in a manifesto, formally establishing the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. The location was chosen with care: the Church of the Forty Martyrs in the old capital, Veliko Tarnovo,..
From 16 September, the History Museum in Panagyurishte will be hosting the original Panagyurishte Gold Treasure. The priceless find will be displayed in the museum’s secure vault hall, where it can be seen until October 23. The treasure will be on..
On 16 April 1879, the deputies of the Constituent Assembly debated, approved and signed Bulgaria’s first constitution, the Tarnovo Constitution. This..
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