Bulgaria Inside

January 8 is known in Bulgaria as ‘babinden.’ This is the holiday of women giving birth and of midwives. This day is in no way connected to Christianity. Celebrations started long ago in villages, where old women and midwives were respected.

The holiday is entirely female and men refrain from taking part in the folk rituals.

Women wake up early so that their children will be active and early-rising. Bread is made. Midwives visit all the houses where they aided women in giving birth over the past year. The face of the baby is ritually washed clean with water. Honey and butter is spread over the forehead of the newborn, a ritual connected to health.

For lunch, midwives welcome the same women in their homes. They receive various presents. All visitors are given pieces of bread, which are used in predicting the gender of the next offspring.

In the afternoon, women walk to the river where they ritually bathe the midwife. Men should refrain from interfering or annoying women during the rituals, since according to folk legends they will be punished.