On December 6, Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The archetype is a historical person - Nicholas Miralikiski, born in 270 AD. in Patara - Lycia, Asia Minor (today Turkey).
Even as a young man he inherited great wealth from his father and gave it all to his children and poor fellow citizens. Many legends were told about his good deeds. So, for example, when a rich man with three daughters went broke and decided to sell his children as slaves, the saint secretly slipped him three bags of gold and thus saved the girls from a terrible fate. He also redeemed other people from slavery. The Eastern Orthodox religious tradition honors him as the patron saint of seafarers.
According to a legend, during a strong sea storm, the saint saved with prayers the sailors of the ship on which he was traveling to the Holy Sepulchre. According to another, the saint plugged a hole in the ship with a carp and resurrected a sailor who died after falling from the highest mast. St. Nicholas traveled a lot by sea and was saved from danger thanks to God's protection.
One of his biographies mentions an episode in which he converted pirates who attacked the ship he was traveling on to Christianity. In the image of Saint Nicholas, the features of a virtuous Christian and a pagan god (Poseidon) are intertwined. This is the reason why Bulgarians honor him as the patron saint of sailors and fishermen, as well as the patron saint of oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. It is believed that when angry, the saint causes storms and hurricanes. That is why sailors stay ashore on Nicholas Day. Saint Nicholas died on December 6, 345.
His memory is honored to this day by the Christian Church precisely on this date. In Western Europe they also celebrate Saint Nicholas (Nicolaus). In German-speaking countries, the Netherlands and Belgium, this day is especially important for children. On the night of the fifth and sixth of December, children leave their shoes in the hope that the good saint will fill them with goodies and gifts.
In many areas of the West, celebrations for St. Nicholas gradually transformed into Christmas. On Nikulden, fish with scales is prepared, mostly carp, because he is a servant of the saint.
The naked fish evokes associations with poverty. The scales are cleaned carefully so that they do not fall on the ground. It is believed that if a scale does fall, it should not be stepped on, because whoever steps on it will get sick and die. The bones of the fish are collected and burned, as in the case of a Gergiev lamb, buried in the ground or thrown into the river or the sea.
Traditional dishes that must be present at the Christmas dinner are ribnik (stuffed carp in dough) and ritual bread, and there must be two in each house. Some of them are distributed to the neighbors and so it can be judged which housewife is the best at preparing them. The rest of the dishes on the Nikulden table are lean peppers stuffed with rice, sarmi, corn, ripe beans.
Since 1992 Nicholas Day is also celebrated as Burgas City Day.
Celebrating Kolyo, Kolyu, Nenko, Neno, Nikola, Nikolay, Nino, Nenka, Nikol, Nicoleta, Nikolina, Nikolinka, Nina, Ninka, Nice