On this day the Bulgarian Orthodox Church reveres St. Nicholas of Myra, also called Miracle-Worker. He was known far and wide for the miracles he worked which continued after his death. St. Nicholas was an ardent opponent of heresies and paganism, even though in some national traditions, the figure of the saint incorporates some pre-Christian deities.  
 
In Bulgarian folklore legends and tradition, Nikola, St. Nicholas has many faces - from a handsome young man possessed of remarkable physical strength to an old man with a long white beard. He is said to be the patron saint of fishermen, sailors, home, family and children, merchants, prisoners and many more. Whatever his age in popular belief, in tales and legends he has big wings of gold on which he flies over seas and oceans. Old man Nikola brings the first snow - when he shakes his beard snowflakes start falling to the ground. Hence the proverb: Today is his day, tomorrow - his snow.

According to folk Christian mythology, when God was separating the Earth from the sky, St. Nicholas was given the seas, the rivers and lakes and all water-dwelling creatures. It is believed that he commands the sea winds and storms. The carp is his servant, so it invariably plays a role in tales and legends and is the main dish in the St. Nicholas Day meal. There are plenty of folklore legends about the miracles worked by the saint, tales of people rescued in the middle of seas and oceans. Ethnographer Dimitar Marinov has made a record of several stories he was told by people who insisted they were true. One of them goes like this: a man and a woman started out for Mount Athos. God decided to give them a sign and the Black Sea froze up. They started to pray and vowed to build a church out of frankincense and a barrel of wax. God unfroze the sea and they sailed off. But the man made up his mind to break the vow, the boat sank and he was drowned. St. Nicholas, who came to the rescue only saved the woman.

On Nikulden divinations are performed to tell what the weather will be like in the year to come. Ritual food is prepared - bread and fish dishes. In some parts two ritual loaves are baked as well as carp with groats or rice. The food is taken to church to be thurified by the priest and a church service is conducted known as “fish church”.

If, for some reason, you are unable to get hold of carp for the St. Nicholas Day meal, then at least find fish with scales, as is the tradition. If the carp scales were to fall to the ground, they must be collected to the last one so no one will step on them by accident. It is believed they are sacred and misfortune shall befall anyone stepping on them. They say that on St. Nicholas Day everyone must use a fishbone to pick their teeth (pocheska, from the Bulgarian word for scratch), considered to be a health ritual. Just as the bones of the St. George's Day lamb, the bones of the carp must not be thrown away, they must be burned and then buried or dropped into the river in the belief that this will multiply fertility and prosperity. The only thing that must be kept is the cross-shaped bone from the top of the head of the carp. It is said to ward off evil spells, so it would be stitched onto baby hats. There are all kinds of carp recipes, but the most widespread is probably the recipe for ribnik (from the word riba, fish) - the carp is baked in dough with leaven. It is shaped like a round ritual loaf or a fish and is decorated. Other must-haves on the St. Nicholas Day table include boiled corn, wheat, stuffed cabbage leaves with no meat, peppers, beans. From time immemorial Nikulden has been the fete bringing together families or the community. On this day all people called Nikola, Nikolay, Nikolina and their derivatives celebrate their name day. But besides them, there are other people with cause to celebrate today, because St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of hunters, bankers, coopers and brewers.

English version: Milena Daynova