Today we celebrate Saint Petka Bulgarska, church holidays in Pazardzhik and Peshteratranslated

On October 14th, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Petka Bulgarska or Venerable Paraskeva. Saint Petka is considered the protector of children and gives the beginning of respect for family and kindred. Petkovden is considered the day that marks the end of warm weather and the onset of winter. Superstitions and traditions According to the customs of Petkovden, domestic animals are fertilized. During this time the women should not take up any work in order to keep the cattle healthy.

Saint Petka, also called Bulgarian, was born in the town of Epivat on the Sea of ​​Marmara in the 11th century. She led a pious life, and after her death her relics, which possess healing power, became a symbol of the struggle to preserve Christian culture from Islamic assimilation.

In 1238, Tsar Ivan Asen II moved the relics to Tarnovo /today's Veliko Tarnovo/, where they were kept until the capture of the city by the Turks. After long wanderings, in 1641, the relics of the saint were placed in the cathedral in the Romanian city of Iași, where they remain until now.

The holiday in honor of Saint Petka - Petkovden, is considered to be the end of summer and autumn, and thus also of the active economic cycle. The people celebrate Petkovden as the beginning of the winter...