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.
This year, the holiday of Christmas for the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese in the United States, Canada and Australia is especially exciting! Metropolitan Joseph’s long-standing prayers to have his own vicar bishop have come true. His previous..
His Holiness Daniil, Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia, addressed the Orthodox Christians on the eve of the bright Nativity of Christ (Christmas Eve). "Silent in prayer, gathered around the warm hearth, we await the fulfilment of what was..
In anticipation of the Nativity of Christ, the Orthodox Church opens its doors for today's divine services, heralding the fulfillment of the mystery of the Incarnation. "Let us experience the Nativity of Christ during the solemn services, so..
Atanasovden, also known as Midwinter in our folk calendar, is a holiday on which the Orthodox Church and our folklore pay tribute to St. Athanasius the..
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