The days of Saint Anthony and Saint Athanasius.
In Bulgarian tradition, the two saints - Saint Anthony (Anton, in
Bulgarian) and Saint Athanasius (Atanas, in Bulgarian), are celebrated
on two consecutive days, January 17th and 18th. They are said to be twins,
the more important one of the two being Athanasius, honoured by both a
summer and a winter holiday. Saint Athanasius rules over the winter
snows and ice, sharing his reign with Saint Anthony, who is the master
of the winter cold.
Antonovden -
The day of Saint Anthony - January 17
The Name day of everyone
named Anton (meaning "priceless” in Latin), Antonia, Antoanneta,
Antoan, Andon, Doncho, Donka, Donna, Donny, Donyo, Tonyo, Tony.
People celebrate this day and are forbidden to
work as a protection
against the plague. Young brides get up at dawn and bake breads called
“choumini” (meaning “of the plague”). They spread honey on them „to
please the old lady, the Plague”, and give them away around the
neighbourhood for the health of people and animals. One loaf of bread
is always left on the attic to chase away the illnesses.
According to the Christian calendar, Saint Anton’s Day should
be celebrated to protect people from illnesses. On this day women do
not spin, knit and cook beans, corn and lentil, because they might
make the diseases angry. According to the legends the twin brothers
Anton and Atanas were blacksmiths and were the first to invent the
blacksmith’s tongs. Anton’s Day is celebrated as a holiday of the
blacksmiths, ironmongers, cutters and shoeing smiths.
January 17th is the feast of Saint Anton (Saint Anthony) the Great
(born 260 AD). According to his biographer, Atanasius of Alexandria,
Saint Anthony spent 20 years in complete isolation in a secluded
ruined building amidst the desert. It is said the devil fought Saint
Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of
women, which he overcame by the power of prayer.
He was visited by sick and suffering
people and he talked for hours to them. He fought against the Aryan
movement denying the holy origin of Jesus, and in an open dispute he
managed to win over the proponents of Aryanism. After his death, his
relics were moved to Vienna to be kept there.
This day is celebrated in order to
protect people from diseases.
Women
observe the restrictions that on this day they should not do any work,
should not spin wool or knit, or boil beans and lentils in order to
prevent from making the plaque and the small-pox "angry". Small
flat ritual loafs smeared with honey or treacle are made and are given
away to the neighbours as a symbol of health. In the Razgrad area one
of the loafs is left in the attic for the "mischief", the
"aunt", i.e. for the plague.
According to the belief the two twin brothers Anton and Atanas
are blacksmiths and they are the first to invent the blacksmith tongs.
That is why both Antonovden (the day of Anton) and Atanasovden (the
day of Atanas) are celebrated by blacksmiths and cutlers.
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PEACE HAVENS of BULGARIA
