Bulgaria Celebrates St Nicholas Day (6th December) with Fish

December 6th in Bulgaria is a special day, it is another name day and the day to celebrate the day of Saint Nicholas and all Bulgarian that are called Nikolai or variations on it.

St. Nicholas is the protector of sailor and fishermen and a public holiday each for all those that are involved with the fishing industry.

St. Nicholas being the commander of the sea calms winds and storms and often saves ships that are in danger. It is tradition that the Bulgarians keep icons of St. Nicholas on their boats and ships. This is meant to give them protection from the harsh elements that are sometimes thrown at them. The wives of the sailors and fishermen place icons of St. Nicholas into the sea and pray to St. Nicholas that their sea fairing husbands return safely to shore.

The day of St Nicholas is officially the day that ends the autumn fishing season called Nikulden (Nikul Day.) On this day the catch is offered to St. Nicholas. The hard worked fishermen eat the initial fish landed on the shore before bringing the remaining catch home.

The day is festive, especially on areas by the Black Sea coast, but also all over the country with fish filled reservoirs scattered the length and breadth of the land. There are many community and civic planned concerts, fish dishes galore and of course and fireworks and after dark.

The carp is the number one fish based food for the day. There is a legend that is told about a ship that was sinking due to a hole in the hull. The story goes on to say that St. Nicholas rammed a live carp in thegaping hole hence saving the ship. A special fish dish called Ribnik made up with carp wrapped in dough or sometimes baked with rice. It is then baked an oven alongside two specially made loaves of bread. As well as Ribnik there are a variety of other meatless dishes served.

Before the delicious food is tucked into, it is blessed at either a local church or at at home before being consumed. It is a Bulgarian traditional belief that the carp is as St Nicholas's servant.

Incense is wafted over the food as the host raises the bread and breaks it in half. The breaker keeps one half of the bread and lays the other on the table. The bread breaker also keeps the cross-shaped bone from the fish head, called krakhche . It is subsequently buried as is meant to protect for the house. Sometimes another tradition is for grandmothers to sew it into theirgrandchildren's head wear caps to protect them from evil spirits.

We are due to have fish tomorrowas one was taken from a local reservoir today (the one in the picture.) Even if we don't attend the civic festivals that are going on in every town it is still traditional that all Bulgarian families have fish to eat on the 6th December. This is of course the biggest day of the year for fish sales in Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Toundzha Fishing

So I have eaten fish from the Toundzha before and that was a wonderful event. It was now time for me to turn hunter and provide for the family but this was no chore I love fishing but never seem to have the time for it!

This was a family affair as Galia's two sons teamed up with me to form a team of fish hunters prowling the Toundzha and their experience in fishing here, finding the right spots, using the right tackle and bait was the key to success. We all traveled by bicycle cutting even further costs on the free meal we were to catch and very much in the tradition for most Bulgarian coarse fishermen here. In fact a car would have trouble getting here in the position that we took up even in the dry banks that the Toundzha currently had alongside it

The place we found I know know but will not let on in this publication for fear of being over fished by others who read this. The bait was Bulgarian worms and no sooner had we cast the first fish was taken. The river has quite a fast flow but were we were there wasa poll of relative still water in a small bay so the fishing was quite easy without having to recast every minute.

The scenery here was outstanding with countryside in the front of us and the town's dominant white blocks behind us.

After about an hour we had at least twenty fish enough for a meal and a half as we began to pack our kit away. Many we threw back being too small and of course the big carp that got away at one point of the session - yes, really!

Just as we made our way home further up the bank we saw a couple of Roma fishing with homemade contraptions. I wanted to knowhow they set up this and asked to see their equipment closer up. they of course obliged with Galia's two sons looking on in amazement to the fact I wanted to know. what I discovered was more than fascinating.

The rod was a bamboo cane, there was no reel but just some old string tied to the end of the cane. I wonder how on earth they could catch fish with string as the line, this mystery was soon solved as they pulling the tackle out of the water.

At the end of the string was tied about a metre of fishing line and the set up of further tackle was made on this. A float that was actually a small dried pepper that had been painted to make it waterproof and the weights used to make this sit upright in the water were small metal buttons. The hook was the only commercial part of the kit with some sweetcorn as bait. Even more fascinating this was that they had caught bigger fish than us!

This was another truly amazing discovery of how things can be done here on the cheap and as we went back to hand over the fish to the women cooks I just couldn't get what I saw today out of my head. I just love this country, the people and its ways!