On December 20, we pay homage to the holy martyr ‎Ignatius the God-bearer. According to the holy books,  Ignatius was the child mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew. The evangelist describes the dispute between Christ's apostles about who among them has primacy. To teach them a lesson, Jesus embraced a child and said: “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.". Later, Ignatius became the bishop of the Church of Antioch. He was a student of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian.

Many of the conventions related to the religious meaning of Ignazhden have penetrated into Bulgarian folklore practices. But, surely, the folk custom preceded the establishment of the church holiday. The pagan roots of the holiday have remained unshakable - on the day of the winter solstice (December 22) the new sun, Mlada Boga (the Young God), is born. Therefore, the meaning of the entire ritual cycle is to prepare and welcome its appearance. ‎

Christmas holidays in the traditional Bulgarian calendar begin on Ignazhden. The transition to the new year begins. For Bulgarians, since time immemorial, this time of the year has been associated with important practices carried out with the belief that this will attract good forces. The magic of action and inaction, of touching, naming and blessing - all this is woven into the Ignazhdeni rituals. ‎

The most important thing on this day is who will enter the house first,  the so-called “polaznik”. The custom itself known as “polazvane” is characteristic of all areas of Bulgaria. This is where another name for the holiday comes from “polaz” or Polazovden. If the first person who enters the home is in good health, has a harmonious family and is a well-established and caring owner, this is a blessing. All his or her qualities become blessings for the householders.

That is why the more prudent people did not leave it to chance. Before the day of Ignazhden, they would agree with a special person, whom they would welcome first on Ignazhden. Upon entering, he had to first go to the hearth - where, according to popular belief, the patron spirit of the family  lives.

In some areas of northern Bulgaria, it was considered very lucky if the first visitor was a healthy pregnant woman. Irrespective of gender and age, the polaznik had to be literally sprinkled with wheat, barley and dried fruits. In some villages of Bulgaria, they even gave him a new shirt and socks. The hosts treated the polaznik to a rich table, and he in return blessed them. ‎

Ignazhden also has another important belief involved - not to lend money. It is related to other customs to preserve well-being and luck in the familiy. It used to be forbidden to take anything out of the house - objects, food, tools. And everyone who went out had to have their hands full on the way back. Usually, people brought in a little straw and piled it behind the door - they believed that this way the hens would lay eggs the whole year.