A notable cultural trait of Chiprovtsi shared with much of the region is the veneration of a family patron saint, named "svetets" ("saint") and akin to Serbian "slava". The practice exists since time immemorial and the family saint is thought to have been chosen by the taking of a random candle by an unaware person. The "svetets" is associated to the family house: when a daughter-in-law comes to live there, she accepts the family saint of the home, and when a family member or a foreign settler moves out or builds a new house, they adopt a new "svetets".