Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

In keeping with the old and new calendar traditions, Babinden celebrated twice in January

Old-style Midwive's Day marked with songs and reenactments across Bulgaria

Photo: BTA

Babinden, or Midwives' Day, was once again this year celebrated across the country with songs, dances and ritual re-enactments.  The day of midwifery was marked on January 8, and today, following the old-style calendar tradition. On Babinden, people honour the babi - a term for "grandmothers", referring to the women who traditionally assisted in childbirth, or midwives. 


At the "Maichin Dom" maternity hospital in Sofia, a holy liturgy was held and the midwives' hands were ceremonially washed with holy water and soap. 

The maternity ward of the Burgas Regional Hospital boasted that more than 1,400 babies had been born in the year 2024.

A re-enactment of the ritual was performed by women from the "Belite Brezi" pensioners' club in Breznik, Pernik district. Besides the symbolic "washing" of the midwife's hands, accompanied by blessings for health, they also presented humorous customs related to conception and pregnancy. Of course, there were also traditional dishes and drinks served on this day in the region. These included pitka (traditional round bread), boiled sauerkraut with pork, slanina (salo) and dried pepper, pacha (a thick pork broth made from slowly boiled pig's head and feet), banitsa, rakia and others.


Babinden is one of the most revered national women's holidays among the series of winter holidays celebrated by the Bulgarian people.



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.

More from category

On Women's Day, traffic police in Vratsa and Burgas give flowers to female drivers

For another year, traffic police in Vratsa and the Burgas region have stopped women drivers - not for violations, but to surprise them with a tulip and a greeting in honour of International Women's Day on March 8. The initiative in Vratsa took place..

published on 3/8/25 5:22 PM

Sea near Varna turns brown due to plankton bloom

An investigation carried out after a signal was received about an unnatural dark brown colour of the water near the beach in the Varna district of Asparuhovo , as well as in the entire area of the port of Varna on the Black Sea coast, has revealed that..

published on 3/8/25 4:15 PM
Rachnik - the signature dish of Dragushinovo is only prepared on Todordvden.

Todorovden celebrated with a Rachnik

The Samokov village of Dragushinovo is the only one in Bulgaria where Todorovden is celebrated by preparing the so-called Rachnik. The local church is named after St Theodore Tiron, the Christian saint and warrior who is venerated on Todorovden...

published on 3/8/25 12:23 PM