During the wait, I have continued to read the Sofia News headlines everyday on http://www.novinite.com/ , so I found out this week that Bulgaria turned their clocks ahead for daylight savings time and that today was a special celebration in the Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church. Today, October 26, is St. Dimitar Day which heralds the start of winter. According to tradition, St. Dimitar rides a red horse and the first snowflakes fall from his snow white beard. Here is an excerpt from the Sofia News:
The church holiday is in honor of the Holy Martyr St Dimitar. Legend has it that he was born in the town of Thessaloniki. After the death of his father, he became a chief of town, accepted the Christian religion and started teaching the residents of Thessaloniki that they should not believe and pray to idols but that they should open their hearts to Jesus Christ.
That was why emperor Maximillian ordered that Dimitar was thrown in a dungeon. Even locked in prison, St. Dimitar continued spreading his faith among the people and because of that he was murdered - speared in the ribs. After some time, during the digging of a ditch, St. Dimitar's holy remains, which radiated healing and fragrant "miro", were discovered.
On this day traditionally, seasonal workers were paid and superstitions abound. For instance, if the first visitor of the day is young and wealthy, it is thought to signal financial prosperity and health for the household. If the first visitor is male, an abundance of male animals are expected in the herds, etc. People with a name derived from Dimitar celebrate this name day with parties and this is a popular day for wedding engagements. This is St. Dimitar:
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