The major Christian feast of Ascension is marked 40 days after Easter. On this day Christians celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ on Heaven. The Messiah remained on earth 40 days and communicated with his apostles. After he finished his last sermon before his disciples and the Holy Virgin at the foot of Mount Eleon, the Mount of Olives, Christ ascended to heaven to join His Father.

In the Bulgarian tradition the day is called Spassovden. Spass is a name that means Savior. In fact the feast marks the completion of the act of saving mankind carried out by Jesus Christ. In traditional beliefs the souls of the dead were released on Holy Thursday, and on Ascension Day, God took them away. So, in the morning, women went to the cemetery to give away wheat and bread, so that God rests the souls of dead family members and other relatives. In some regions of Bulgaria there was a tradition to dye red eggs again after Easter and to give them out to the dead souls. In folklore, the souls of the dead appeared as small flies and bees, so on Spassovden windows would be opened widely to let all souls get away and go back to heaven.

On Saturday after Spassovden (Ascension), Cherry All Souls’ Day is held when cherries are taken to the cemetery. Ascension was also respected as a day to boost rains of fertility and to provide protection from hails. In traditional routines this was a day when washing, sowing, weaving and ploughing was banned. Any rain falling on Spassovden was as precious as the one falling on 6 May,St. George’s Feast. Teenage boys and girls would tour fields and gardens singing prayers to God for rain.

There was a very ancient ritual associated with Spassovden known as “visiting the burning bush”. In folklore, Spassovden was the day when rosaliiki (wood-nymphs) came to the forests. They were superb healers of human disease. Their favorite plant was the burning bush that only blossomed on the night before Spassovden and it was then that the rusaliiki fairies would go to pick the burning bush blossoms. So, people from the vicinity would take sick family members to spend the eve of Spassovden on rusaliiki meadows, close to a holy spring or a chapel. The sick man was placed to lie over a rug and some gifts were left by his head for the wood-nymphs (bread, wine, socks and a jug with water). During the night the rusaliiki fairies arrived and left a sign for every sick man whether he was likely to recover.  Then, in the course of 40 days, the sick man should drink from the water in the jug.

Spassovden is the professional day of bakers, drivers, builders, hotel managers and is a name day for people called Spass and Spasska.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity or Pentecost is acknowledged as the birthday of the Christian church. It is celebrated on Sunday, 50 days after Easter. The Holy Trinity is represented by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. According to the Bible, on Pentecost the apostles, the Holy Virgin and other believers gathered in Jerusalemfor a secret supper. Suddenly there was a whirlwind coupled with strong noise and flames that spread to the worshippers. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and the apostles took to the rest of the world to profess the Christian doctrine.

On the Monday preceding Pentecost is the Day dedicated to the Holy Spirit. In iconography the Holy Spirit takes the image of a dove. In the traditional Bulgarian culture the day is called Duhovden, or Spirit Day and is linked to the cult for the dead. Similar to Spassovden, it was a day when the souls of the dead released on Easter, go back to heaven. Early in the morning women visit family graves bringing walnut tree leaves trying to make a comfortable shade to the dead. Walnut tree leaves are spread on the floors in churches and visitors kneel, close their eyes and imagine their dead relatives.

Translated by Daniela Konstantinova