June 16, 2016
Eniovden (Midsummer’s Day) the most magical tradition during the Summer! On Midsummer’s Day, people worshiped the sun!
Eniovden (Еньовден Enio’s Day, or Midsummer’s Day), celebrated on June 24, coincides with the Eastern Orthodox Feast of St. John the Baptist, celebrating his birth. Born six months prior to Jesus, John proclaimed a message of repentance as he paved the way for the Savior.
Origins
In terms of its pagan roots, however, Eniovden is a celebration of the summer solstice. In Bulgarian mythology, the Sun (a male deity), along with his twin, the Moon (a female deity), were created when the sky and earth merged. Both light sources played prominent roles in the beliefs of the Thracians, but on the summer solstice, or Midsummer’s Day, people worshiped the sun.
For the Thracians, seasons were divided into winter and summer. On the solstice, the sun had completed its exhaustive journey to summer and was now at its highest point in the sky and shone the longest. It bathed in water sources while it rested, then shook itself, covering the land with dew. At last refreshed, the sun played or danced three times in the sky before it began its return journey toward the next winter season.
On the solstice, Thracian kings performed immortality rites, symbolizing the marriage between the Sun and the Earth (a female deity). The ceremony included a ritual bath, after which, the king passed through a stone arch (the womb of the Great Goddess) as the sun penetrated it. This rite at the gateway to the afterlife brought about the king’s conception and re-birth.
Source: Light Love Rituals: Bulgarian Myths, Legends, and Folklore
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