St. Nikola’s Day (Nikulden)

On December 6, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of St. Nikolay, or Nikulden. St. Nikola was born in the town of Patara. The legends tell he performed a lot of good deed, one of which was to secretly leave a bag full of gold in front of the door of a poor father, who used the money to marry his three daughters. He is also the worker of many miracles, saving sailors and voyagers from the dangerous waters of the sea. He died in 342 in the town of Mir. In 1099, his relics were moved to the town of Bari in Italy, where they still rest. In Christian beliefs, St. Nikolai, whose name means “Winning”, is honoured as the patron of all fishermen. When the world was divided by God, St. Nikola was given the seas, the rivers, and the lakes. Therefore, he is the master of all the underwater world – all fish and water demons. On this day, every Christian should have a fish dish on their table (traditionally, the fish is a carp). December 6 is the public holiday of one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful Black Sea coastal cities – Bourgas. It is also the name day of everyone called Nikola, Nikolai, Nikolina, Nenka, Nina.