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.
Christmas Eve is one of those quiet family holidays, filled with hope for the future. At the border between the past and the present, Orthodox Bulgarians gather to welcome the days to come. Traditionally, the table on Christmas Eve is simple and..
Today, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church commemorates St. Naum of Ohrid. Naum was a medieval Bulgarian scholar and writer. He was born around 830 and died on December 23, 910. He was of noble origin but he left everything and followed the Slavic..
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Arsenii of Sliven, a copy of the miraculous Athonite icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "She Who is Quick to Hear" was welcomed at the Saint George the Victorious Monastery in Pomorie. The Bulgarian..
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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