St. Demetrius was born in Thessaloniki. After his father's death he became city governor, accepted Christianity and taught the residents of Thessaloniki not to worship idols, and to open their hearts to Christ. Roman Emperor Maximilian ordered to throw him in a dungeon. Even though he was in jail, St. Demetrius continued professing Christianity and for this activity was murdered. Later on his relics were found by accident. In popular Christianity his feast gives the start to the winter half of the year. There is a famous Bulgarian proverb: St. Demetrius brings the winter, St. George the summer. Prof. Petko Hristov, PhD, from the Ethnographic Institute cum Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences says more:

"In the traditional Bulgarian calendar Dimitrovden and Gergiovden provided a basic frame to the calendar year and divided it into two main seasons: winter and summer, inactive and active. In the Balkans and the Carpathians the two feasts are the most important days in the entire annual cycle. Their relevance stems from the agrarian culture that has for centuries developed in Southeast Europe. Rituals rest on ancient, pre-Christian notions, because they relate to basic livelihoods in these parts of the European continent, especially in mountain regions. For Bulgarians and in the context of the year cycle of work, Dimitrovden is a day of special importance. On Gergiovden, St. George's Feast, sheep herds were taken high in the mountains for the summer, and on Dimitrovden, were delivered back to spend the winter in villages. The two feasts are popular not only among Christians: Muslims celebrate them in due manner as well. In folklore mythology St. George and St Demetrius are twin brothers. This concept is seen in many icons that today we term traditional naïve art. In icons St. George rides a white horse, and St. Demetrius, a red one.”

"Most Christian feasts during the autumn are associated with votive offering”, Prof. Hristov goes on to say. “Harvesting was over and the logic of agrarian mentality required an expression of gratitude to nature and to the saints who dominate the autumn section of the calendar. Communities gathered together for votive offerings and festivities, usually at a common table including those who had been abroad to make a living. Family services began, and many of them honored St. Demetrius who was often chosen for a family patron.”

On village occasions starting from mid-October, a ritual was held where girls mature enough to get married turned up before the community to play a traditional chain dance, as potential bridegrooms and their parents watched on. In this way parents chose their future daughters-in-law. In the traditional Bulgarian culture, more notably in regions with strongly developed stockbreeding, Dimitrovden was often called Razpus ('release' in English). This was the moment when those who had been hired as seasonal shepherds or workers wrapped up with their seasonal jobs and were being paid for their work.

Prof. Petko Hristov casts some light on how ancient traditions were reproduced during early modernity in Bulgaria:

“We are aware that immediately after the Liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish rule in 1878, Sofia became the venue of the so-called Masonry Piazza. It was the right place to hire masons all-year-round. In practice, those people actually built the modern city of Sofia. The place was so very popular that after World War I, twice every year - after St. George's Day and after St. Demetrius Day - a special Maidservant Market was held. Maidservants came to Sofia from nearby villages to work and earn some cash until it was time for them to go back and get married. Returning to home villages they took with them modern recipes, new skills of running a household and raising children etc. Men often went abroad to work and make money in a bid to accumulate some capital and be able to set up a family and a home. On Dimitrovden, as hired male workers returned from foreign lands, families reunited after a long spell of separation. There were special rituals for seeing off workers abroad on St. George's Day and for having them back on St. Demetrius Day. When seeing off their sons and husbands, women carried out rituals for success and symbolic magical protection, because getting a job abroad was associated with long trips rife with dangers but also with new opportunities and material prosperity. When men came back on Dimitrovden they were welcomed with festive family reunions that sometimes involved the whole community. On those occasions votive offering as an expression of gratitude was traditionally the focus of reunions.”

English: Daniela Konstantinova