Every year on August 18, the Assumption Day of St. Ivan Rilski, patron saint of Bulgarian miners and those working in the mining industry, the Bulgarian mining community celebrates its professional holiday - Miner's Day, reports BGNES.
At the suggestion of the Pernik coal miners, King Ferdinand issued a Decree, which set August 18 – Assumption Day of St. Ivan Rilski, on a day in which the miner's profession is celebrated, gives respect and adoration to his work, dedicated entirely to the people. Work that provides light, heat, raw materials for the practice of many professions, raw materials without which today's technological level of humanity would be unthinkable.
The designation of Saint Ivan Rilski as the patron saint of Bulgarian miners is not accidental. The most Bulgarian saint possesses the characteristic features of the miner's profession: firmness, will, compassion and philanthropy. In 1994, by a decree of the Council of Ministers, the celebration of the holiday was restored and for 20 years now, the Bulgarian Mining Guild has been doing everything possible, regardless of the difficulties in the industry, to celebrate this day and remind the public of the role and place of the mining industry in the economic development of the country.