New Year's Day is Saint Vassil's Day in Bulgaria
January 1 is Vassil Day, named after a Bulgarian saint, designated special for all those who bear the name or derivatives of it.
It is believed that if the first person to enter a house on the first morning is male, a child born to the household will also be male and vice versa. The cornel tree (Cornus mas - European Cornel) is a symbol of health, prosperity and power on Vassil Day.
During dinner a branch is set in the middle of a round loaf, symbolising the sacred centre of the home and the universe.
January 1st – the New Year and Vasiliovden (Saint Vassil’s Day)
This is a very important date in our Church since it marks the Feast Day of one of our greatest saints, St. Basil the Great.
On the New Year’s Eve or in the morning of January 1st, Bulgarians used to eat the traditional cheese pie (Banitsa) with fortune-slips in it. Usually they are written by the wife or the children in the family. The fortune-slips are generally about the priorities in life, like health, happiness, love, wealth and so on.
Survakane is a typical Bulgarian custom for New Year’s Day. It is performed by children and brings good health. This ritual is performed with short branches of cornel-tree (European Dogwood), embellished with colourful woolen threads.
Sylvester Day is January 2, which is the day of all cattle, according to one myth. Stables and cattle-sheds everywhere are cleaned especially by the boys who are sent from house to house, tapping families with survachki sticks and receiving items of food in return. Villagers leave wine, bread and meat in the cattle-sheds as a gift for the boys, who are known as koledari.
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