Every year the 6th of May is hugely celebrated in Bulgaria. This is the day of St. George the Victorious, (“Pobedonosez”) one of the most important Bulgarian saints who was canonized in the Orthodox Church for his heroic deeds. He is most commonly depicted in icons riding a white horse and stabbing a lance through the throat of a dragon. As the story goes, the dragon made a habit of harassing the shepherds and stealing their sheep.

The shepherds were desperate to get rid of the dragon. Luckily, St. George came to the rescue, killing the dragon with his lance and saving the shepherds. He became a legend in the Orthodox tradition, and to this day the Bulgarians celebrate St. George as the patron saint of the shepherds on May 6th of every year. The holiday is observed with a “kurban”- the slaughter of a lamb as a sacrifice to the saint. A lamb is to be slaughtered by every family after scattering flowers over its horns and reciting a prayer. Every village gate, every house, and all the livestock are decorated by flowers—traditionally willow blossoms—on this day. The scattering of flowers is believed to bring good health to the villages. On St. George’s, people visit the rivers to wash themselves early in the morning and long ago this was the only day in which people would weigh themselves. The night before the holiday, the sheep were brought out to grass because that night’s dew was thought to have a curative power over the livestock. And of course, the traditional dish of St. George’s day is lamb, which is prepared whole and served as the main course at dinner.

A couple of years after the liberation of Bulgaria on 9 January, 1880, May 6th was also decreed “Bravery Day,” or the Bulgarian Day of the Army by Knyaz Alexander of Bulgaria. The biggest military parades took place on May 6th, and recently this tradition has become restored and has shared its celebration with St. George. And now that we know what we are celebrating, happy Bravery Day and happy St. George’s Day everybody! Enjoy your lamb!

by Denitza Grambelova

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