/ world today news/ On October 26, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Dimitriy Mirotochiv and Prep. Dimitra Dorostolska. Today is Dimitrov Day.
On this occasion, His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch and Sofia Metropolitan Neophyte will visit the capital temple “St. Dimitrii” in Hadji Dimitar quarter. Patriarch Neophyte will take a prayerful part in the festive service and bless the faithful.
Saint Demetrius is an Orthodox saint. In the folk calendar, the holiday Dimitrovden marks the turning point in the season and the beginning of winter. According to belief, at midnight on the eve of the holiday, the sky opens, after which the first snow is expected. The saint is considered the patron of winter, cold and snow.
Saint Dimitar was born in the 3rd century in the city of Thessaloniki, and his father was the then mayor. After his death, Emperor Maximianus Hercules assigned this post to Demetrius, who was received with great joy and honor by the townspeople. As governor of Thessaloniki, Dimitar openly professed and glorified the Christian faith. Dissatisfied with his behavior, the emperor Galerius threw him into a dungeon, and later, on October 26, 306, ordered him killed. Then the Christian church proclaimed him a martyr of the faith and a saint, and the inhabitants of Thessaloniki began to honor him as the patron saint of the city. The feast of Saint Demetrius has been celebrated in Thessaloniki since the 5th century, and soon after it was transferred to Thrace and Macedonia.
In the folk calendar, the celebration of Saint Demetrius is associated with a turning point in the season and the beginning of winter. According to belief, the first snowflakes fall from the saint’s white beard. “St. Dimitar brings winter, and St. George brings summer” – says a Bulgarian proverb. Then the farmers put their plows under the eaves and arrange the firewood.
This day is also known as Mitrovden or Raspus. It ends the period for which seasonal workers such as cattlemen, shepherds, rathais are hired, and they are paid. Sometimes, in addition to the fixed sum, more clothes and a pair of turbans for each of the winter months are given as wages. The procurement of workers for the next year also begins. According to popular belief, preparations for the so-called Dimitrov Day begin. “mice holidays” the next day. In the Staroplanin areas, the owners keep an eye out for the first guest who crosses the threshold of the house. If he is a good and wealthy person, they believe that the next year will be rich, healthy and fertile. If there is a full moon on the night before Dimitrovden, the bees will swarm and the hives will be full of honey. This night is also important for people looking for buried treasure. They believe that then the sky “opens” and the buried gems flash with a bluish flame.
It is also believed that Saint Demetrius is the brother of Archangel Michael – the patron of the afterlife, of dead ancestors. On the Saturday before the holiday, there is one of the biggest stews – the Dimitrovska, where boiled wheat and commemorative breads are distributed. Engagements and weddings begin at this time of year.
On October 26, lamb meat sacrifice, rooster stew, apple pie, brandy, as well as various vegetable dishes are served on the table.
And don’t forget to congratulate your relatives and friends who have the names Dimitar, Dimitrina, Dimo or Mitko and the like, who are celebrating their name day on October 26.
Dimitrovden is also a holiday of the city of Sliven. This morning at 08:30 a.m. in the cathedral “St. Dimitar” in the city, a festive Holy Liturgy begins, and from 11:00 a.m. the solemn ceremony on the occasion of the city’s holiday.
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