All men named Anton celebrate on January 17th.

St. Antonii the Great was born around the year 251, in a family of rich and pious parents. He spends twenty years in complete solitude in an abandoned house in the desert. Sick and suffering people come to him for long discussions.

Aged 104, Antonii goes out into an open dispute with the followers of the arian teachings and defeats them. His success is called a celebration of Christianity.

On the next year, the saint dies and is buried at a secret place. Later his relics are found and carried to Vienna.

In the Bulgarian calendar, the day of St. Anton is celebrated to avoid diseases. On this day, women don’t weave or sew, don’t boil beans or lentils so that they don’t anger the plague, measels and other common diseases. Special round loaves are prepared for the holiday, and are given out to relatives and neighbors with wishes of health.

Traditions picture the twins Anton and Atanas as smiths, who invent the smith’s tongs. Thus the days of Anton (January 17th) and Atanas (January 18th) are noted as holidays of smiths, farriers and cutlers.