The Christmas holidays are just around the corner and most of us are looking forward to a time when work can rest. However, days off from work did not always bring joy and relief to everyone. In 1769, a small Catholic community in early modern Bulgaria complained to the local missionary about the many holidays they had to observe: they had too few working days left to sufficiently cultivate their fields and make a living. The Catholics therefore asked the missionary for permission to miss certain holidays in order to be able to work more.
