Bulgaria Honors St. Athanasius the Great on Winter Atanasovden
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church today commemorates St. Athanasius the Great, recognized as the "father of Orthodox theology"
Today the Orthodox Church celebrates the conception of St. Anna. In the calendar of the Orthodox Church this holiday is closely connected with the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.
On December 9, the conception of St. Anna - Mother of God is celebrated. St. Anne is considered the patron saint of marriage, family, motherhood, protector of virgins, widows and pregnant women. According to the non-canonical Proto-Gospel of James, Anna and her husband Joachim are visited by an angel who tells them that they will have a child.
Anna promised to dedicate her child to the service of God, and at the age of three Mary was taken to the Second Temple. The story is similar to that of Samuel, whose mother is also childless for a long time and her name is Hannah. The Eastern Orthodox Church has embraces St. Anne since the sixth century, and she and Joachim are called Holy and Righteous Saints. The story of the Proto-Gospel of James was accepted by the Roman Catholic Church only in the 13th century, and Anna was officially canonized in 1854.
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the conception of St. Anne on December 9th and her death on July 25th.
The people honor this day as a holiday of witches. The night before the holiday is a time of spells, sorcery and magic. Through it, magicians, witches and fortune tellers most easily establish contact with the devil, the dead and demons. They appear around the fire like flies. That is why the farmers light a fire with manure in front of each door, sprinkle ashes and millet around the farm buildings. The girls plant wheat in a pot and melt twigs of cherry or apple in water and leave them by the hearth. If the wheat sprouts and the twigs sprout by the New Year, the girl will marry next year, and for a good boy.
Beliefs say that on this night black magic "catches". That is why the various prohibitions are strictly observed: women do not do anything, they should not touch wool, so that children and livestock do not get sick; the men should not leave the village, because the fairies play in the meadows and if they see a man, they kidnap him. Name day is celebrated by Anna, Anna, Anka, Ani, Yanko, Yanka.
/BGNES
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