The Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates today the great feast of the Lord, the Ascension of the Lord, also called Spasovden, writes novini.bg.
It is always celebrated on Thursday, the 40th day after the Resurrection of Christ - Easter.
According to the New Testament, for 40 days after His Resurrection, Jesus Christ remained on Earth to preach His teachings and converse with His apostles and disciples, moving among them as the God-man.
Forty days after the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples many times. He explained the Holy Scriptures to them and confirmed His promise of the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. All the disciples were convinced that Jesus Christ had truly risen.
On the fortieth day after His Resurrection, Christ appeared for the last time, spoke with His disciples, and led them out of the city to the Mount of Olives, which is about two kilometers from Jerusalem. When they climbed the mountain, Jesus Christ raised his hands to bless them. While blessing them, He separated from the earth, carried up by a cloud, and slowly ascended to heaven to His heavenly Father. The apostles worshiped the Ascended Lord and could not take their eyes off the wondrous sight.
The Gospel of Luke about the Ascension of Christ says: "And while He was blessing them, He separated from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem...".
Spasovden is a professional holiday for bakers, drivers, builders, hoteliers, and florists. In some traditional Catholic countries, for example in France, Ascension Day is one of the official holidays and a day off.
According to beliefs and traditions, the night before Spasovden is healing and the sick go for dew, lie down next to the flower and place some gift for the mermaids-healers next to their heads. On this day, various ritual actions were performed related to ensuring health, fertility, protecting the harvest from drought and hail, as well as customs with a marriage focus.
“There you are, bride, Spasovden!“ is an expression widely spread in Bulgarian folklore. Spasovden is the day on which Christ ascended to heaven and is celebrated on the 40th day after Easter. The expression is usually understood and depicted in Bulgarian folklore as an erotic scene. The first folklore image containing an erotic message on the subject is an Old Bulgarian drawing – graphite from Preslav. Usually the expression “Here you are, bride, Spasovden!“ is used when something (some event) has happened suddenly and unexpectedly, when one least expects it.
According to folk beliefs, infertility can only be cured on the night before Spasovden. A woman who does not have children must then sleep under the dew plant, which is considered a samodiv flower. But not alone, but with a companion with whom she is not related by blood. Before that, the two of them place a spasov pie, a boiled chicken and a bottle of wine on a red mat. They eat, drink, etc. Around midnight they must lie down under the dew and be silent. Shortly before the first rooster crows, around 2 a.m., they must leave the food there and run to the village without looking back. It is believed that infertility remains under the dew plant. If a woman conceived on the night before Spasovden, it was believed that this happened in a magical way and was not interpreted as adultery. In fact, this is a delicate way of regulating the population in pre-Renaissance society. Because the cause of infertility is not always the woman. Many stories are associated with this day. Most of them lead to the idea that on Spasovden one can cheat and are associated with the whim of a man who is impatient and therefore says “Here is your bride Spasovden!“. That is, today it can.
On this day, mermaids come - mythological creatures that can harm a person, but at the same time can also cure him of incurable diseases. They begin to prepare for Mermaid Sunday, when they will “sow“ their dew over the fields. They do this on Spasovden too - dressed and adorned with dew, the favorite flower that they pick on the magical night before the holiday. According to belief, mermaids pick only the tip of the medicinal herb.
To this day, in some places, before sunrise, people roll in the morning dew “for health“.
Once upon a time in the eastern Bulgarian regions, those suffering from “samodiv disease“, fever, paralysis and other incurable sufferings, would spend the night in an area where the dew flower grew. They would bring various gifts that they would leave for the mythical mermaids. They would spend the night in complete silence, before sunrise they would roll in the dew and again in silence they would leave the place. Similar magical actions were also performed by brides who could not conceive. They also held festive parties, for which the girls would dress in borrowed bridal attire. It was believed that this way they would settle down before the next Easter.
During the week called Rusalska, the Rusaliya also go - male groups, always with an odd number of participants. Their leader is called vatafin or yuzbashiya. The kalpaks adorn themselves with all kinds of herbs. They carry a staff made of hazel, sycamore or dogwood - healing trees with magical power.
The groups go around throughout the week and treat the “rusal“ or “samodiv“ disease (caused by the bad influences of mermaids or samodivs). They do this with a special ritual dance around the sick person. Arranged in a circle, the rusaliya dance to musical accompaniment, gradually accelerating the tempo, reaching an ecstatic state. When the exaltation is at its peak, the vatafin breaks a pot of healing liquid, and the sick person gets up and runs away. One of the rusaliya takes his place and thus the disease is banished. After the healing rituals are completed, the young men visit the church to purify themselves and then return to their ordinary way of life. It is believed that the mermaid games are a legacy of ancient times.
Namesakes of Spasovden are people with the names Spas, Spasena, Spasimir, Spasimira, Spasiyana, Spaska, Spasenia, Spasuna, Sotir.