Today the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honours the memory of the Venerable Anthony the Great. Bulgarians call the day Antonovden. Anthony is considered the founder of Christian monasticism. According to Bulgarian popular tradition Antonovden is celebrated to protect people from illness. Women should not spin or knit on this day, nor should they cook beans or lentils so as not to anger the plague, pox or measles.
Folk tradition has it that Anthony and Athanasius were two twin brothers who were blacksmiths and were the first to invent the blacksmith's tongs.That is why Antonovden and the next one - Atanasovden, are celebrated as holidays of blacksmiths, ironmongers and knifemakers.
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