Babinden

Babinden
Babinden in the Village of Senokos, Northeastern Bulgaria
Observed by	Russian, Bulgarian and Serbian
Type	National
Celebrations	Feast of women in childbirth and midwives
Date	8 January (21 January according to the Gregorian calendar) in Bulgaria and Serbia 26 December (8 January according to the Gregorian calendar) in Russia and Belarus
Frequency	annual

8 January (21 January according to the Gregorian calendar) in Bulgaria and Serbia

Babinden (Bulgarian: Бабинден, Russian: Бабьи каши, Бабий день 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:

Men may not participate in the rituals.

The baba holds a particularly exalted place in the traditional family life. She is universally honoured and loved for her skills in bringing about new life.

Just before sunrise the mothers of children under the age of three go to the common well to draw fresh water. In it they dip a sprig of basil or geranium. Then they take a bar of soap and a new towel and make way to the house of the midwife. The bathing ritual is performed outdoors - under a fruit tree in the garden, on the wood chopping block or on the front stairs of the house. (Traditional Bulgarian houses have their bottom floor half dug in the ground, under the street level; thus the main housing level is slightly elevated with a stone staircase leading to the front door of the house.) Every woman hands the midwife the soap, pours some water to wash her and then presents her with the new towel. The midwife, however, wipes her hands dry with the skirts of woman - to be fertile and to have easy deliveries. The midwife then presents the woman with a bunch of geraniums tied with red and white threads. While washing, the midwife may splash the water up in the air, jump three times and say "So may jump the kids and become white and red [eg healthy clear skin with rosy cheeks]! May the harvest and health beas abundant as these water droplets!" After the bathing the women present the midwife with gifts of shirts, socks, cloth, which they sling on her right shoulder. In return the midwife ties a bracelet of red and white threads with a silver coin on the right arm of each child she has delivered and gives him or her socks and shirts. Then she ritually washes the face of the child as it is believed that the water which passes the hands of the baba on Babinden has cleansing properties. In some part of Bulgaria it is customary for mothers to take their children to be blessed by the baba until the children reach the age of three.