On October 26, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the feast day of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki. The martyr is sometimes called “protector of Balkans” and is widely revered by Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs and Russians.

Born in the 3rd century in the city of Thessaloniki, after the death of his father Dimitar became mayor, accepted the Christian faith and taught the citizens of Thessaloniki not to worship idols, but to open their hearts to Christ. Roman emperor Maximian ordered him imprisoned. Even imprisoned, St. Dimitar continued to preach and was killed. After time, his relics we discovered by accident and they had healing power and radiated pleasant aroma.

"In the traditional folk calendar of the Bulgarians, Dimitrovden and Gergyovden /May 6/ frame the calendar and divide the year into two seasons: active and inactive," says Dr. Petko Hristov from the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore with Ethnographic Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in an interview with Radio Bulgaria. "For Bulgarians and their year-round work Dimitrovden is a holiday of special importance. On St. George's Day in the spring the herds were brought high in the mountains and on Dimitrovden they were brought back to the villages. The holidays are popular not only among Christians, but are also marked by Muslims in Bulgaria. According to popular ideas, St. George and St. Demetrius are twin brothers. That is why there are many icons on which St. George is riding a white horse and St. Dimitar is riding a red horse next to him. We can see such images on numerous icons that people used for prayer at home.”

Photo: nessebarinfo.com