The wonder-working icons of St. God Mother in the "St. Ivan Rilski" temple
On August 18, Gorna Lipnitsa is more different. For third year already on this date a bell ring drifts away, which people hear every day morning and evening. But on 18th it is more festive – then it is the temple holiday of a St. Ivan Rilski chapel-temple. On that date the patron of the saint temple died, he is a protector of all Bulgarians.
People talk about the celebration months ago, and they often ask if this would happen that year, too. On 18th the preparations begin in the morning, still in the dark. The previous day the special lamb (still, since the winter) for the boiled-lamb soup ( kurban) is slaughtered. The best cooker in the village – a grandmother Nasa, under an old receipt of Gorna Lipnitsa prepares the meat. Except of the receipt, the secret of the delicious boiled-lamb soup stew is in its 5-hours boiling.
The festive liturgy begins exactly at 10 o’clock. Some hours before that the temple began to be crowd with impatient God prayers that with their curiosity or because of their strong faith have no patient to wait for the beginning of the divine service. You can hear not only Bulgarian speech, many people are foreigners. A big part of the English families that live in the village have decided to visit the already famous and among them, a temple holiday.
At 10 o’clock the festive ring of the two bells in the chapel stops sounding that invites the late God prayers to be hurry. After that the festive liturgy began that prolonged four hours. This year it was served by a priest Mileti. The priest sanctified water, icons and objects of the visitors. There were sanctified and copies of the three wonder-working icons of the St. God Mother to which everybody can pray, everyday, here in the
Before the end of the divine service the boiled-lamb soup stew is prepared that together with the made for this purpose, ritual bread, also were sanctified, and after that they were given to many people.
It has become a tradition for this date the doing a christening in the chapel. This year Caterina and Stiliana were introduced in the right faith.
The celebration finished with a festive dinner. The church management to the church “St. Dimitar”, also in Gorna Lipnitsa, and not few mayors and municipality from a Pavlikeni municipality presented at it.
