Turkish Volunteers Participated in Burgas Day

Burgas Day, 6 December, held in Burgas, Bulgaria, left colorful images on the streets.

Nikulden and Burgas Feast is celebrated by the people of Burgas every year on December 6, commemorating St. Nicholas, who is very respected in the Christian world.

St. Nicholas, he is the protector of the seas, sailors and fishermen. This commemoration takes place during a holiday called Yortu. Eid is the holiday of Burgas, a port city. St. Nicholas’ Feast is also a day when bankers and merchants celebrate their professional holidays.

This day, declared Burgas Day, also has a mythological importance. St. Nicholas is a protector who can calm the storms at sea with his prayers. St. Nicholas has wings and can fly in case of disaster and save those stranded at sea. Lyubomir and Apostol, who stated that they came to introduce this day to Turkish volunteers at the festival area, were present as representatives of Astika Foundation and Delphi. Representatives who wanted Turks to know and discover this day explained this culture to Turkish volunteers.

While introducing this day, Lubomovir talked about a legend. St. Nicholas took a risk by jumping on his boat to save people who were about to drown in the sea. He struggled with crazy waves. He saved people from drowning by clicking the hole in the boat with a fish. The people of Burgas declared Burgas Day to honor this event and St. Nicholas.

As a Turkish volunteer, I had a day of fun and learning. While visiting the exhibitions, I realized that; To honor a day could come with disaster. But after a disaster, we didn’t have to still remember it as a „disaster“. When there were difficulties in life, the universe would send a protector. Our part was to believe that there would be a St. Nicholas in the crazy waves. Who knows; Maybe we are all becoming St. Nicholas while struggling with the crazy waves. We just may not have honored it yet…

What to Do on Burgas Day?
Burgas Day, it brought people to the roads in the early hours of the morning. The first sight that greeted the people of Burgas who took to the streets was grilled fish and fish soup cooked on the streets. Street artists accompanied the people waiting at the stands where long queues formed, with their music. Burgas administration, sailors and some restaurants were among those who distributed fish. While people were dancing in the streets, they also filled their stomachs with fish. At 13:00, sirens were heard in the sea of ​​Burgas, a Black Sea city. The ships performed shows with water in the middle of the sea.

Burgas Day was not just about concerts and fish. Many art galleries had exhibitions where works attributed to today’s meaning and importance were shared with the public. Fish-themed cakes were made in bakeries. Names; People named Nikolay, Nikolina, Nina, Nikol, Kolyo, Nikoleta, Nenka and Nenko cooked mackerel fish while celebrating this day in their homes. They filled the cooked fish with rice and bulgur and added walnuts. According to a belief, the more scales in the fish cooked at home, the richer the person will spend that year.

This day, in which St. Nicholas was honored, ended with a big concert in the city square. Despite the rain, many people came to the concert with umbrellas. The day ended with people’s high energy and dancing that warmed up the atmosphere.

Written by: Betül Uzun
Edit/Translate: Müleyke Kocaman