What is "babinden"

Babinden (, the Day of the baba or the Day of the midwife) is a traditional Bulgarian feast, celebrated on 8 January (21 January according to the Gregorian calendar), in honour of the women practicing midwifery. The traditional word for midwife in Bulgarian is baba, same as grandmother. The holiday has pagan origins and is part of the traditional family rituals.

On Babinden, all children born in the previous year and their mothers gather at the house of the midwife to perform the following rituals:

• The bathing of the children by the midwife, followed by blessings, anointment of the babies with honey and butter and presenting the midwife of gifts (wool and ritual bread in the form of small pretzels). The ritual is performed to ensure health for all participants.
• The young mothers' feast. The young mothers (those who have given birth in the last one year) bring bread, banitsa (traditional cheese filo pastry akin to the Greek tiropita), grilled chicken and wine. They help the midwife wash and present her with new clothes - shirt, apron, kerchief, socks, etc.
• The bathing of the midwife (performed only in some parts of the country). After the young mothers' feast, the midwife is taken to the nearest water place (river, lake or well) and is ritually bathed.

Men may not participate in the rituals.