Autumn, with its colors and aromas, is one of the most picturesque seasons. And while today it is a symbol of a return to routine and the work process, in the past it was a time for balance and a sort of end to farming. That is why the autumn holidays express, in particular, gratitude to the higher powers and God, for the kindness and help during the past working season. As this is a sacred period of transition from one state to another, it is believed that the world is dangerous and chaotic, and strange creatures, evil spirits and demons roam around. And this is where the ordinances, the turbans and the changes come in, aiming to "beg" peace and health for both us and the whole race.
St. Peter's Day - 14 October
On October 14, we honor St. Petka, the patron saint of home and family. Also called "Winter Petkovden", the holiday marks the transition to winter and also the end of farming. "On a plow day, your plow is under your roof," says the people.
As St. Petka in the popular beliefs is a protector of fertility (both in humans and animals), this day marks the beginning of weddings and weddings. Traditionally, this is also the day of "frolic" or "sheep's wedding." The sheep are released by the sheep, and for the duration of the fertilization (until Dimitrovden), the women are forbidden to work with wool.
St. Petka in the Christian religion is the patron saint of women and their domestic activities (spinning, cutting, sewing), and therefore the scissors in the home are tied with red thread "so as not to open the mouth of a wolf" and not knit, "for not to entangle the intestines of the lambs. " Those who did not obey the ban would be visited by Saint Petka in the form of a snake or an old woman who would kill them. It was also believed that if a person put on a garment sewn in the days between Friday and Dimitrovden, he would lose his mind or become sore and vampire after his death.
In some parts of Bulgaria, on the Saturday before the holiday, a five-day choke is made. In honor of the dead, wheat, sweet rice, watermelon and grapes are given away.
The "Spirit of God" or the "Chicken (Lord's) Church" are special sacrifices of black hens that take place in the Thrace region.
In other places, the custom of "crawling" is observed - the first time a person enters your home, this will be your luck next year.
For the festive meal it is obligatory to prepare turban soup, stew with leeks, sarmi and roast sheep meat. Ritual breads are kneaded and the eldest, called St Petka, is broken by the eldest woman in the house and distributed to the whole family. The house must be sprinkled with holy water and smoked with incense.
The twelve days, from Petkovden to Dimitrovden, also called "wolf" or "vampire bad", are a kind of sacred transition between the old and the new year. During this period, the world is dangerous and chaotic, and strange creatures and evil spirits and demons roam around.
Dimitrovden - October 26
"George wears summer and Dimitar winter ..."
According to legend, St. Demetrius and St. George were twins traveling in different directions around the world. Finding out about his brother's death, Dimitar set out to search him. He found the Lamia that Georgi had eaten. The brave Dimitar cut the Lamyata's heads and thus received back his brother's soul. Since then, the twins have been riding to heaven, and the year has been divided into fraternal ones: for St. George - summer, for St. Dimitar - winter.
In the popular calendar, Dimitrovden is also called "Disband", because it is then that the farmers pay and dismiss the employed workers, shepherds and rattans. During this time, the construction of new houses was completed, which is why Dimitrovden is a holiday for the builders.
It is widely believed that on the night of Dimitrovsk the sky opens and where there is buried property, it flashes blue.
On this day one wonders what winter and the coming year will be like. With the moon full, the hives will be filled with honey. If the sheep are in the cattle individually - it will be a warm and warm winter if they are clustered together - a long, frosty and severe winter is coming.
Being a harbinger of cold and winter, St. Demetrius is associated with the world of the dead. That is why on the Saturday before the holiday is the Choke, which is served with cereals and pastries for commemoration. Vegetables, boiled corn, roasted apples and pumpkin should be present at Dimitrovden's table. A sheep meat and stew turban is prepared with the cock if the household name is a man, or with a hen if it is a woman.
On this day names are all named Dimitar, Dimitrina, Mitko, Dimo, Dimana. And according to the tradition of a name day, you go uninvited, with a bouquet of white flowers, to be a good winter. Flowers must be wrapped for health
St. Nestor or Mishinden - October 27
Just the day after Dimitrovsk, we celebrate St. Nestor's Day. Throughout the country, the so-called. Mishinden, Paganshlyak, Mishlyats, Pugantsi - a holiday with pagan roots in honor of the mice. The legend tells of mice that came out of the belly of an unbeliever whom Saint Nestor fought in battle, and according to another legend, after he smelled incense in the church, Satan split in two and left mice, moles, snakes ...
In the early dawn, the oldest woman in the house smeared with the dung or mud the hearth and the floor of the winterhouse, thus "smearing the eyes and mouth of the mice".
The word "mouse" is not mentioned throughout Misinden, except in rituals, so that rodents do not think that they are being invited home. On this day, it is not sewn "so that the mice do not eat the crops with their sharp teeth." It does not mix or lend flour. Sharp tools are not used - axes, knives, hooks, scissors.
In some places in Bulgaria, a ritual pie is prepared, which is stuffed with a cat's paw, smeared with honey and eaten around the sofas "to eat other people's mice bread." Thorns are lit in some areas with the words, "Run mice and rats because you are being chased by St. Demetrius and St. Nestor with fire and thorns!"
In the villages where there were many mice, the so-called. Mouse's Wedding. Male and female mice were dressed as newlyweds, tied to each other and put in a basket by the river. In the "wedding" as "godfathers" were involved girls and young people from the village. The ritual was accompanied by cheerful wedding music and rich holiday meals.
Archangel's Day - November 8
In Orthodoxy, St. Michael the Archangel is one of the seven most personal angels to the throne of the Lord. Gabriel is the bearer of the mysteries of God, Raphael heals the ailments, Uriel enlightens the darkened souls, Salatiel is the supplicant and intercessor before God, Jehuudiel praises the Lord, Barahiel delivers God's theologian, and Michael is the guardian of the souls.
It is Michael the Archangel who is with us when he completes our earthly journey and brings the soul of the dying man back. It is believed that if the dead goes with a smile, then Archangel Michael handed him an apple (wrist), and if he died in pain, then the Holy One gave him the "bitter cup."
Folklore portrays Archangel Michael as a beautiful young lad, compassionate and just, but also deaf so that he does not hear the moans of the mourners. After she "gathers" the soul, the "Priestess" accompanies her to the beyond, where she, along with St. Peter, weighs her sins. In order to secure health and long life, as well as a easier transition to the "other world", on this day the people pay great homage to the saint.
On the Saturday before the holiday, the Grand Archangel's Strangler, also known as the Soldier, is being made, as it then pays tribute to those who lost their lives during the wars. Special breads are prepared that repeat those at the funeral. The family gathers for a rich meal, and the eldest breaks the crooked cross with the words: "Saint Archangel, Saint Nicholas and all the saints, help us, we honor you and cut a muffin to be born a man by the ceiling!" is distributed to everyone in the house.
In the gift of the dead, wheat is left behind as well as fresh seasonal fruits. A candle is lit to illuminate the path of the soul beyond. The graves are "overflowing" with red wine (a sacred sign of purified blood), smoked with incense (thus begging for forgiveness) and decorating with many flowers (a symbol of virtue).
At the Archangel's Day, large common meals are made, when a ram or a car are cooked, from which a turban is made. So-called Rangelovski bread - Bogovitsa and Rangelovo platter. Baked wheat, seasonal fruits, beans and red wine are also required for the holiday.
This is the holiday with the most names - Angel, Alina, Angela, Gabriel, Mila, Milko, Milen, Mikhail, Ognyan, Plamen, Rada, Radoslav, Rostislav, Radostin, Rayko, Raina, Rangel, Raya, Rusi, Seraphim and derivatives them.
8 November is also a professional holiday for the Bulgarian police.
Holy Mine - 11 November
In folk tales, Saint Mina is the lord of the wolves that he launches and retracts into the human world. It is no coincidence that the day we honor him is right in the middle of a time when wolves are raging or so-called. Wolf Holidays (from Archangel to Christmas Eve).
The Orthodox Church honors St. Mina (his name means "moon, moon") as a defender of the family: the orphans and the homeless, the medicine men and healers, the people who have come a long way. The saint protects women and strengthens shaky marriages.
On this day the memory of St. Victor, St. Stefanida and St. Vincent is also celebrated. Name day is Mincho, Mina, Victor, Victoria.
