The first day is known as male Voditsi, the second – as female Voditsi (waters). The name actually comes from the tradition of performing a number of rituals involving water. It is believed that through them, people, the earthly world and the universe are purified of the unclean forces. These are forces that run wild in the transition period between the old and the New Year, which the people called unclean days. The forces have to be banished through the festive rituals on Epiphany and St. Ivan’s day.

The Christian meaning of these two feasts is to mark the end of the period from the birth to the baptizing of Jesus Christ. The first of them is also known as Twelfth Day or Epiphany, because that was when Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan. The next day is dedicated to the prophet John the Baptist (in Bulgarian the name John is Ivan), who baptized Jesus.

Popular belief has it that on the night before Epiphany, the skies open up. Only the righteous can see this and whatever wish they make at this precise moment is sure to come true. It is also believed that at this moment, the water in all rivers, pools and springs is purified and sanctified. That is why anything immersed in these waters will also come out purified and sanctified.

That is why it is a tradition to immerse all icons from the home. The iron ploughshare was also rinsed in the river, and was used for burning incense at the table during the Christmas and New Year period. To this day, the same ritual is performed throughout Bulgaria on St. Jordan’s day – a priest throws a wooden cross into the waters of rivers or pools to purify them. Then young men jump into the icy water to retrieve it. It is believed that he who finds the cross will be healthiest throughout the new year. Besides this, all men who have got engaged or married during the previous year are also supposed to be immersed in the cold river waters. And that explains why this day is also known as male Voditsi. And if any man decides not to go through with this icy ritual, they have to pay “ransom” to the group of men who come to his home. Whoever does not pay up is taken and thrown into the river. When all the “ransom” money is collected it is used to buy a sacrificial ox and wine for a celebration the entire village takes part in. And if there is any money left over, it is donated to the church. The wintertime river bathing and the merrymaking are believed to bring health and luck to all throughout the New Year.

On the next day – January 7, the Female Voditsi or St. Ivan’s Day, the celebrations continue, and the rituals are again for health and prosperity. On this day unmarried girls go to all the houses in the village and just like the carol singers at Christmas, sing songs of blessing. Every song includes well wishing especially for the person it is performed for – for the man - head of the family, for the wealthy farmer, for the good wife, for unmarried girls and boys, for children. Thus, for the last time in the long Christmas and New Year ritual cycle, the wishes for the New Year are expressed, in the hope that they will come true.