On January 2, Christians pay honor to Saint Sylvester - Pope of Rome, who officially baptized Emperor Constantine I the Great.
According to popular beliefs, Saint Sylvester is considered the patron saint of animals. In Bulgaria the holiday is also called Karamanovden, Silvestri, Silvestrovden. In folk traditions the day is associated with paying respect to cattle - cows, oxen, etc.
On this day, people clean the barns and dump the manure that hasn't been thrown away since Christmas. On the night before the holiday young men who were carolers on Christmas Eve are once again divided into groups - this time to visit and bless the homes of farmers who have cattle.
On this day, people named Sylvester, Silvia, Silvana, Seraphim, Goran, and Goritsa also celebrate.
On 19 October 2025, the day on which Orthodox Bulgarians commemorate St Ivan Rilski the Miracle-Worker, the newly renovated St Ivan Rilski Church in Chicago will officially reopen its doors. Named after Bulgaria’s heavenly patron , the church will host..
Archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov on Thursday announced the discovery of a large circular temple at Perperikon, the early-historic rock complex in the Eastern Rhodopes, BTA reported. Dating to the 3rd–4th centuries AD , the structure is believed to..
This summer, archaeologists once again breathed life into the legends woven into the rocks of Kaliakra . Among the ruins of the once majestic fortress above the Black Sea, over 400 artefacts were discovered, shedding new light on..
Mostly Cloudy
Partly Cloudy
Cloudy