VT Times, May 2012

St George: a saint for two countries
Saint George enjoys a celebration in Bulgaria that is even
more important and noticeable than the celebrations in
England. It’s one of the biggest spring festivals and name days.
For the saint is not just England’s patron, but the patron saint of
herds and shepherds. There are deep-rooted, probably pagan,
traditions associated with goats and sheep, that have combined
with Orthodox religion to give the rituals that survive today in
Bulgaria. While England’s pastoral lifestyle may be something of
the past, in Bulgaria it remains very much a part of everyday life.
This day is an ideal time to celebrate the common
pasts and mutual aims of our two countries,
especially for English expats living in Bulgaria.
May 6th is known as Гергьовден - Gergyovden, also
Gergjovden or Gergevden, or Gurgevden or even
Jourjovden. OK, it can be a little confusing! Even
more confusingly, St George is celebrated on April
23rd in the UK. It’s all about the Julian and Gregorian
calendars … and can’t be readily explained. But
here in BG, May 6th is most definitely the day. It’s a
name day for anyone with a derivation of “George”
- and that’s a pretty long list. This holiday, falling on
a Sunday this year, is a national day off. There are
many rituals that are centred around agriculture,
good harvests, productivity, wellbeing and health.
In England, despite recent efforts to increase the day’s
importance, not many people celebrate it and you
don’t even get a day off. Maybe some will wear a rose
or fly the flag, which England adopted in the 12th
century. Though both Boris Johnson and Andrew
Rosindell MP are campaigning for St. George’s Day
to be a national holiday in England, there is a distinct
lack of celebration in the UK.
In Bulgaria however, traditions remain strong.
On the night before St George’s Day, girls pick
flowers and herbs. Three flower wreaths are made:
one for the sheep who traditionally get their first
milking, one for the lamb that will be sacrificed (it’s
customary to cook an entire lamb on this day) and
one for that first bucket with milk in it. Farmers
decorate their homes and their livestock quarters
with greenery. Herbs are fed to the animals and eaten
by the farmers. Gergyovden bread is made the night
before, see page 18 for the recipe.
Sheep and goats are taken out to graze before sunrise
and then brought home for the first ritual milking.
People may roll in the morning dew, wash in or
drink it, to bestow
health on themselves.
That spring’s first
born male lamb is the one chosen to be sacrificed to
Saint George. This is a highly ritualistic process, with
flowers, candle and blood, but traditions vary from
region to region.
If it rains on May 6th it’s seen as very lucky, with
every drop “carrying a golden coin”.
Typically, the whole village is invited to join in a
feast, with Gergyovden bread a central feature.
The feast should also include the whole roasted
lamb, fresh milk, sirene cheese, yogurt, a milk and
rice desert, raw garlic, boiled wheat, pastry with
butter, pork brawn, cheese banitsa and eggs. In
some regions, children throw the crumbs from the
Gergyovden bread and sometimes girls stand next to
the feast: both are believed to encourage tall growth
and fertility of the crops. The village host buries a
red Easter egg in the fields for fertility. Sometimes,
villages set light to any straw left over from the
Christmas dinner, particularly on the fields. There
are Horo dances and, in some places, a pregnant
woman (poor thing) is supposed to dance around the
large village table all day long waving a green frond.
Dancing goes on into the late hours, sometimes
in national costume. Swings are also important
for balance and health, so get out to a children’s
playground and enjoy!
St George is also celebrated in Catalonia, Czech
Republic, Ethiopia, Egypt, Georgia, Gozo, Greece,
India, Iraq, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Romania,
Russia, Serbia and the Ukraine! St George also helps
unite faiths, even if only briefly. Both Muslims and
Christians in Bulgaria celebrate and, in the Holy
Land, go to an eastern orthodox shrine at Beith Jala
near Jerusalem together. Muslims believe St George
will cure all people of madness. We can only hope so.
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