ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Residents of Karaisen celebrate Ivanovden with authentic ritual for chasing away evil

4
Photo: Zdravka Maslyankova, BNR correspondent

With an authentic ritual that has no analogue in Bulgaria, the residents of the village of Karaisen, Northern Bulgaria, celebrate St. John's Day (Ivanovden in Bulgarian). The holiday is called "Ivanovi Vlachugi" (dragging, pulling on Saint John's Day) and has been passed down since time immemorial, and today it is kept by the local village residents, reports BNR correspondent in Veliko Tarnovo Zdravka Maslyankova. 

The name of the ritual comes from the pulling to the water fountain of persons with the name Ivan, maidens and bachelors, as well as all young people who have become families in the previous year. In Karaisen, people believe that "Ivanovi vlachugi" cleanse bad energy and drive away evil, bring health and prosperity to the entire village.

According to museologist Diana Miteva, this tradition comes from the conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity, which began in 864, because when people were baptized, they were dragged, as it was a forced process. 

The ritual is marked every year. In the past, it was very popular in the entire Veliko Tarnovo region.

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.
Radio Bulgaria Life    Christianity Ivanovden Ivanovi vlachugi Saint John's Day Veliko Tarnovo

Gallery

More from category

Bulgaria's oldest stud farm preserves endangered breeds

The "Kabiyuk" horse breeding farm in the village of Konyovets is the oldest stud farm in Bulgaria, founded in 1864 by Midhat Pasha, the governor of the vilayet of Ruse, to produce horses for the Turkish army. The farm existed until the Russo-Turkish War..

published on 11/6/24 8:38 PM

New online platform helps Bulgarians returning from abroad settle more quickly back home

There is no exact statistic on the number of Bulgarians living abroad, but a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from last year indicates that around 2.8 million Bulgarians are living outside the country . According to the 2021 population census..

published on 11/6/24 12:16 PM

WWF Bulgaria is launching donation campaign "Subscribe to Nature"

The nature protection organization WWF - Bulgaria is launching a campaign entitled "Subscribe to Nature".  The disappearance of wild animals is a series in which we play the main role. In less than one human lifetime, 73% of vertebrates in..

published on 11/6/24 10:56 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 14
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 11
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 11
Partly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 15
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 14
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 15
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 13
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 10
Partly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 15
Partly Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 15
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 15
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 15
Partly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 16
Partly Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 13
Partly Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 14
Partly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 16
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 10
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 10
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 10
Partly Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 14
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -3 | Max: 9
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 13
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 15
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 10
Partly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 16
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 11
Partly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 15
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Nuredin Nuredinaj from Gòra: "We must return to human values and preserve our identity"

Nuredin Nuredinaj comes from the historical-geographical region of Gòra in Northeastern Albania, where 90% of the inhabitants identify themselves as..

published on 11/26/24 2:05 PM

The secrets of white halva and how a dessert preserves old Bulgarian customs

Halva, this sweet temptation with an oriental twist, is a welcome delicacy on the Bulgarian table, especially on holidays. Judging by the descriptions of..

published on 11/27/24 3:25 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"