Today Bulgaria Celebrates St. Ivan's Day– Big Orthodox Holiday

Today the Orthodox Church pays homage to St. John - The Baptist of the Son of God.

The Church also honors him as a Forerunner-prophet who prepares people for the coming of the Savior.

St. John's Day is accompanied by a rich ritual throughout the country, associated mainly with the young married.

Folk custom dictates that the best man or brother-in-law should "bathe" by publicly spraying the newlyweds who got married a year ago with water. The young family must welcome its guests and bring wine, bread and meat to the godfather.

The Bulgarian folk tradition connects the rites and customs of St. Ivan's Day with the purifying power of the water consecrated the day before.

The period of the so-called "dirty days" is over and everyone is looking forward to the fulfillment of the predictions of good health, prosperity and happy life.

On this day, exactly 351,856 namesakes celebrate in Bulgaria, according to national statistics, and Ivan and Ivanka are the second most popular names in Bulgaria after Georgi and Maria. There are 53,576 women named Ivanka in Bulgaria and 144,024 men named Ivan.