site.btaEastern Orthodox Church Celebrates Feast Day of St. Nicholas, a Major Religious Holiday in Bulgaria

The Eastern Orthodox Church is celebrating the feast day of St Nicholas the Miracle Maker on December 6. Nicholas is revered as the deliverer of captives and the patron saint of sailors, travellers, merchants, fishermen, and bankers. The day is a major religious feast day.

Nicholas (3rd and 4th century AD) was an early Christian Bishop and Archbishop of Myra. According to legends he was the man who secretly threw purses with gold coins into the home of an impoverished father to help him marry off his three daughters. Many miracles are also attributed to Nicholas, such as delivering sailors and sea travelers from the elements. He died in 342 AD in the city of Myra, in the Roman Empire (modern-day Turkiye). In 1087, his relics were taken to Bari, Italy. The saint's tomb is in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas there.

According to Christian mythology, when God was dividing the world, all bodies of water and the fauna living in it were assigned to Nicholas.

The Bulgarian equivalent of the name Nicholas is Nikolay/Nikolai. Bulgarians carrying that or a similar name, such as Nikola, Neycho, Nikolina, Nikoleta, Nina, Kolyo, celebrate their name day on December 6. In 2020, some 200,000 Bulgarians had this name day.

Tradition dictates that people named after St Nicholas should celebrate in their home with their friends and family. Traditionally, seafood is served at the festive table, most often carp stuffed with walnuts.

December 6 has been the official holiday of the city of Burgas, on the Black Sea, since 1992.