Saint Nicholas Day Since Nikoljdan always falls in the fasting period preceding Christmas, it is celebrated according to the Eastern Orthodox fasting rules ("Post"). Fasting refers in this context to the eating of a restricted diet for reasons of religion. This entails the complete avoidance of animal-sourced food products (meat, milk, dairy products and eggs). Fish may be eaten on certain days In Bulgaria, Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on the 6 December as "Nikulden". Families invite relatives, sponsors and neighbors for a meal of fish (usually "ribnik", a carp wrapped in dough) and two loaves of ceremonial bread, all of which are
Church of St Nicholas, Melnik the Church Fathers and the vision of Peter of Alexandria. The life of church patron Saint Nicholas is also painted on the walls of the church. The frescoes also feature portraits of Antipas of Pergamum, Anthimus of Nicomedia, Gregory of Nyssa and Procopius of Scythopolis. Some of the murals have been stripped from the walls and sent to the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia, though others remain in place. A 13th-century Greek-language inscription was discovered on the interior walls of the Church of St Nicholas. In translation, it reads: "Prayer of God's slave "sebastos" Vladimir, brother of a single womb