In various mythologies, the pig probably because of its proverbial fertility is associated with the Mother Goddess. In ancient Greece for example, the swine is considered the favorite animal of fertility goddess Demetra. Thracian goddess Bendis is described as an enormous woman who eats pigs. Later, probably under the influence of Judaism and Christianity, pigs started to be considered unclean animals. Even today, in everyday language, the swine is a symbol of greed, filth and lack of inhibitions. Calling somebody a pig is always considered offensive.

Despite being ridiculed, the swine actually occupies an important place in the folklore of Bulgarians. As a rule, in every Bulgarian farmhouse there is at least one pig, which is slaughtered after the Christmas lent. According to folk traditions, Bulgarians call Christmas “Koleda,” which actually derives from the verb "kolya" (to slaughter). This shows the central role of swine in traditional beliefs.

Slaughtering the pig and processing the meat are similar to ritual practices and follow strict rules. Early in the morning at the home, where a pig is to be slaughtered, neighbors and relatives of the owner meet in order to help him with the task. In every Bulgarian village there are people who are known for their superior skills when slaughtering a pig is concerned and one of them is usually invited to participate. Later, the women prepare special traditional dishes from the liver and fatty meat of the animal and families gather to a feast. On the next day people gather again in someone else’s house to perform the same ritual. This way the rural community spends nearly a month in feasting. According to tradition, the head and feet of the animal are cooked into a jellied dish called "patcha,” which is preserved until January 1^st, when it is served as a ritual lunch. This is the only case where pork is  not considered unclean for rituals.

There are specific folk beliefs and stories related to the pig. It is believed, for example, that it can go down under the ground, to the mysterious and dangerous caves inhabited by dragons and other mythological creatures, as the pig is immune to the forces of evil. There is a legend about the cave above the village of Rabisha near the town of Belogradchik. It tells of a girl, kidnapped by a dragon that took her to the cave. A month later, one of the rural pigs entered into the dark hole and after it went out several hours later, it carried in its mouth the apron of the missing girl.

People also say that once a herd of pigs entered into the Rabishka cave and was lost. Long time passed and the villagers learned that the herd went out the other exit of the cave, which was located right in the faraway Carpathians. Similar stories are told about other caves in the country, like the cave known as the “pig-hole,” situated near Lakatnik in the Iskar Gorge.

“Another unusual ability of the pig is to predict the weather - it is believed that when a summer storm is coming, pigs collected chips and sticks and carry them in the pigsty. This belief lies behind the anecdotes about smart pig of the priest: a Turk once had to spend the night in the house of the village Christian priest, who warned him that the weather will turn bad. The Turkish did not believe, but on the next day he was convinced of the validity of the forecast. He asked the priest how he came to know that weather would change and he replied that he knows that from the actions of the pig. Intrigued, the Turk went to the Imam and asked him if he knew what the weather would be. He wisely replied that he was not to meddle in the affairs of Allah. The disappointed man concluded that "the hog of the Christian priest knows more than our Imam.”

 The pig appears in some stories as a very small animal. Attacked by a wolf once, a pig begged the predator to let him play the bagpipe for the last time before his death. The stupid wolf agreed and the pig started squeaking so that dogs heard it and rescued it.

The pig is involved in some medical practices, as well. When one has skin problems they go dressed in a shirt to a pigsty and sit down on the ground, so that pigs jump over them. After that the person bathes under the mill wheel and the disease subsides. When a child is born the midwife grandmother blesses him or her with the words "Gain weight like a pig!"

English version: Alexander Markov