On January 5, we celebrate Winter Cross Day.
The day before Epiphany is also called the Cross, Vodokrst, Vodokrsti. In folk beliefs, this is the end of the “dirty days“, which begin on December 25. It is believed that during these days there is cosmic chaos and demonic forces roam the earth. In the Christian sense, these are the "unbaptized" days, in which the newborn Jesus Christ has not yet received Holy Baptism. It is believed that on the night of the Winter Cross Day opposite the Jordan Day, the sky opens, but only the righteous can see it and make a wish that comes true, writes marica.bg.
The meaning of the festive ritual is to cleanse the earth through the power of the Cross of the creatures of the afterlife, of the disordered world, wandering in the unbaptized time, to prepare for the great baptism that is to come. In the morning, a service is held in the church, the water is baptized and sanctified. In the morning, the priest drops a cross into consecrated water, thus baptizing it, and goes around all the houses to sprinkle them with a bunch of basil dipped in it. This act is believed to drive away bad luck and illness from the home, and as a thank you, the owners put a coin in the priest's mencheto.
When sprinkling on the houses, the priest also leaves a little white and red wool, with which martenitsa are made on March 1. The people believe that if the bunch of basil with which the priest sprinkles freezes on the Day of the Cross, the year will be fertile.
The next day - January 6, Epiphany or Jordan's Day, the cross from the mencheto is thrown into a river or reservoir. It is also believed that on the Winter Day of the Cross, birds and animals speak with a human voice, and all rivers and streams stop flowing for a moment to cleanse themselves. If the stars are bright on the evening of January 5, beautiful lambs will be born during the year. The ritual meal on the day of the Cross is lean.
The name day is celebrated by the brothers Krustyo and Krustana.