The Bear's Day

On 30th  November Bulgarian Orthodox church celebrates the name of saint Andrew who is called like that because he first from the apostles was called to go behind Christ.
The fisherman Andrew was standing at the coast of Jordania river when Joan Precursor showed of the people the walking Christ and said: ,,Here is God’s Agnus!” As soon as Andrew heard that he went behind The Saver and spend with him all the day. After that he went to find his brother Simon (Peter) and told him the glad news: ,,We found a Messiah” and bring him to Christ. After the meeting both brothers who was born in Vitsaida, continued their life of fishermen. Later Christ saw them at the coast of Galilean sea and said them: ,,Go behind me and I”ll make you hunters of people”. Since then they were following The Saver and became witnesses of His miracles, death and Resurrection.
After Easter and the descent of the Holy Ghost the holy apostles went to some countries to sermonize the God’s sermon. Saint Andrew went to the northern countries and sermonized in Malaysia, Guise and Skitia. Because of that the Russian Orthodox church accept him for your founder. It’s considered that Andrew is founder of the church in Constantinople’s patriarchs consider themselves for his direct successors because the Roman pope considers himself for successor of saint Peter. Apostle Andrew died like a martyr and after few days Egeat kills yourself. The widow and his brother were visiting the apostle’s grave till their death.
With emperor Konstantsiy (337-361) the relics of saint Andrew were carried in Constantinople and they were laid in the church ,,Holy Apostles”. After the conquest of Constantinople by the crusaders the holy relics were carried in 6th may 1208 in the Italian town of Amalta. Today the relics are still there. The honest head of saint Andrew was preserved in Rome till 1964 after that it was devoted by the Roman Catholic church of Istanbul’s patriarchate like a gift in symbol of the restored relations between both holy churches.
In the iconography saint Andrew is portrayed like an old man with long (often shaggy) white hair and beard, and he holds the Gospel in his right hand. He’s protector of Scotland, Russia, Sicily, Greece, Rumania, Prussia, the Maltese towns – Amalphi and Lukva, and also of the soldiers from the army, the sailors, the fishermen, the fish dealers, the rope’s knitters, the singers and the performers.
In the Bulgarian national traditions the feats Andrew’s Day is devoted of the bear which is the biggest beats in the Bulgarians lands. About her they tell that on this day she goes about all the houses and if in some house don’t have food for her she eats the children. Since then it has become a custom to boil the maize which she likes very much. From the evening the women shell the maize in a big caldron and leave it steeped. In the morning the maize it’s boiled and the oldest woman in the house take still three times at ten grains throw it upwards in the chimney and says: ,,Here you are bear, don’t eat it raw!” Also have to boil beans, wheat, barley, lentils and peas. Exist a belief that the next year the plants will produce big and full fruits because from the Bear’s Day the days start to grow –a little like a grain of maize. Because of that the feats is called Edreev’s day. During the all day the family eat from the legumen.
At this day women don’t work housekeeping, don’t spin, don’t weave, don’t crochet and  don’t wash, because the bear can’t attack the fields with maize, the hives and the cattle. In the  prohibitions are kept in the house will be a fruitfulness and even some person meets the bear she won’t hurt him.
The re is a belief that saint Andrew is patron of the bear and her dictator. Many legends are telling that he show yourself in front of the people, mount a bear and banish the winter and the long nights.
In our traditional ideas the bear is part of the underground world where she lives and that makes possible her contact with the dead. The national con sciousness connects her with the fruitfulness, the humidity, the woman’s beginning. The bear’s character is very widespread in the mummer’s and the wedding ceremony where it’s stamped the unholy from what people have to liberate themselves.
In conclusion the name of saint Andrew is important for all of the Christians and it’s esteemed by all of them. Bulgaria has all circumstances to become a basic link in one future tourist itinerary connected with pilgrimage’s traveling ,,on the way of holy apostle Andrew” from Russia to the ,,Holy Places”. Immediate to Veliko Tarnovo there is a temple which carry the name of the saint. This is the underground chapel ,,Holy Andrew” and it could be open at the territory of the Preobrajenski monastery. This is one of the oldest buildings in the monastery (build in 1834 by the master Dimitar from Sofia), and on it the master Kolio Ficheto in 1863 build the little church ,,The Annunciati”. There some person can light a candle to esteem the name saint Andrew.



                                                                           From ,,One Bulgarian Child”