On October 26, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki who perished for the Christian faith in the early 4th century. In Bulgaria’s folklore calendar the Day of Saint Demetrius, also known as Dimitrovden, is considered to be the beginning of the second half of the year-marking end of fieldwork and construction works. Saint Demetrius is regarded as a patron of winter and cold. Demetrius has a long white beard from which a snow is falling. This is the day on which the seasonal workers employed at St. George’s Day receive their remuneration for the whole period. Some of them begin to prepare for engagements and weddings, others are preparing to seek employment elsewhere. For this reason, Dimitrovden in Bulgaria is celebrated as a holiday of apprentices, builders, etc.
According to folk beliefs, Saint Demetrius and Saint George were twin brothers. The twins divided the year in two equal halves. St. George received the summer and St. Demetrius received the winter. The division applies to the farming year- from St. George’s Day the spring-summer cycle of farming begins and from the Feast of St. Demetrius- the autumn-winter one.
Dimitar, Dimitrina, Dimko, Dimka, Mitko and Mitra celebrate their name day on Dimitrovden. The day is marked by large family gatherings, where people dance traditional horo chain dances and sing beautiful folklore songs.
Today, we bring you a slow song from the music repertoire of the famous Thracian singer Valkana Stoyanova. The piece “Dimitar Rano Podrani” tells an ordinary life story:
English version: Kostadin Atanasov
The Hague, a city in the south of the Netherlands, the administrative centre and the place where the Queen lives and works... Hardly anyone associates this city with Bulgarian folklore and traditions. But the fact is that the interest in..
On June 28 and 29th, the city of Razlog, in the region of Blagoevgrad, will present the magic of Bulgarian folklore. In these days, the XIII Festival of traditional horo dance will be held on the central square "Preobrazhenie". The..
Early in the morning, young men and women gather in the meadows to play with the sun. "It is believed that the sun dances and shimmers on Enyovden at sunrise, because it is the longest solstice of the year". This is the most important thing to know about..
Partly Cloudy
Mostly Cloudy
Clear