Bulgaria

St Basil's Mass

The year begins with St Basil's Mass. Even after New Year's Eve the holiday continues for those named Vassil, Vassilka, Valcho, Vesselin, Vesselina. In Greek the name means kingly (Basil) and is connected with Basil the Great, who was born in Cappadocia around 300 a.d. and later became a saint. For his time, Basil received the best education in rhetoric possible in pagan Greece. He traveled across Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Mesopotamia where he met Christian hermits. The wiser Basil returned to Athens and started an argument with his teacher Evul about the essence of the new faith. In the end the pillar of Athens' rhetoricians Evul confessed, "Through you I Believe in one Father God".

Later Basil became a hermit by the Iris River and began gathering around himself newly converted Christians. He is also connected with the formation of monastery complexes. The saint believed that it was better to have more preachers than everybody to seclude themselves with their faith. On January Orthodox Church celebrates St Basil's Mass.