Date and public holiday status
St Ignatius’s Day falls on 20 December every year and is known in Bulgarian as Ignazhden. It is not a public holiday: it is a normal working day in Bulgaria.
In the folk calendar, Ignazhden marks the beginning of the Christmas festive cycle. Some traditional beliefs also regard it as the start of the new year, giving the day’s customs a particular importance for the year ahead.
Remembering St Ignatius
The Orthodox Church honours St Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch, on this day. According to tradition, he was the child whom Christ took into his arms to show his disciples how they should be.
Ignatius died as a martyr in Rome at the beginning of the second century, when he was thrown to wild beasts.
The first visitor tradition
The central folk custom is polazvane, which centres on the first person to enter the home. This visitor, called the polaznik, is believed to foretell the household’s fortunes: if the person is good and healthy, the coming year will be successful.
The polaznik stirs the fire in the hearth and offers a blessing. In return, the hosts give the visitor a gift.
Another folk belief holds that the Virgin Mary’s labour begins on Ignazhden and continues until Christmas Eve. Traditionally, women avoid heavy work and do not give anything away from the home.
Name day celebrations
Ignazhden is also a name day for people called Ignat, Ignatiy, Ignatka, Ognyan, Ognyana, Plamen, Plamena, Iskra and Iskren, as well as those with related names associated with fire.