A series of holidays starts in December, taking us closer to the shared moments of comfort and love on Christmas Eve.

"Varvara boils it, Sava roasts it, Nikola welcomes guests." this is how Bulgarian people describe the three holidays at the beginning of the last month of the year.

First in the series is the so-called Varvara or Women's Christmas. On December 4, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the holy martyr Barbara - a girl from a noble family, beheaded for her Christian faith at the beginning of the IV century. The name” Women's Christmas” comes from a custom in western Bulgaria, according to which young girls, with bags over their shoulders, go around the houses and sing songs-blessings, wishing for health and fertility. The Bulgarian people say that day and night meet on the Day of Varvara, i.e. they become equal, and from that day on until Ignazhden /December 20/ the day "rises" as much as a needle's tip.

• Varvara boils it, Sava roasts it, Nikola welcomes guests

According to Bulgarian folk beliefs St. Barbara, St. Sava and St. Nicholas are relatives and people even considered that St. Sava was a woman and a sister of Varvara, while Saint Nicholas was their brother. Folk legends also describe Barbara as the ruler of children's diseases (smallpox), while Saint Sava rules over the plague. In order not to make them angry, in some regions of Bulgaria an interesting tradition is observed as people do not touch scissors, needles, knives, etc. on this day. In other villages, Savinden is dedicated to the memory of the dead, so women boil wheat. A fertility ritual is also performed. At sunrise the childless sift flour through a sieve turned upside down. They then knead and bake ritual bread, which is distributed to people at the crossroads with the strong belief that this would turn the luck around.

We honor the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker on December 6. The patron saint of fishermen and bankers is actually also the archetype of the good old man whom every child anxiously awaits at Christmas.

• St. Nicholas - the rule of faith and the prototype of Santa Claus

It is not widely known that the image of Santa Claus is related to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, who performed numerous miracles not only during his lifetime, but also after he left this world. One of the most popular stories related to the life of the saint is his miraculous victory over a sea storm, which he tamed with his prayers.

In Bulgarian folklore, the saint has wings, which gives him features close to those of the mythical zmey (dragon). Ethnographers have recorded legends that tell how Saint Nicholas was at a table, but a storm broke out at sea. Saint Nicholas "fell asleep" but actually flew away to save the people in trouble. A beautiful folk song that is performed on Nicholas Day during the festive dinner, tells about this story:

You can read more about Bulgarian traditions and customs related to the days of Saint Barbara, Saint Sava and Saint Nicholas HERE.

Compiled by: Elena Karkalanova

English publication: Al. Markov