The Name
day of everyone named Efthimios (Evtim, Euthim), (the name derives
from the Sanskrit word "en", which designates infinity, the hidden
god. Some people also interpret the name with the meaning of
"kindliness")
The feast is also called “Petelarovden” or “Ihtima”. It is
mainly celebrated in the eastern part of Bulgaria for the good health
of the small boys. The traditional customs followed that day have a
strong connection to the legend of King Herod who killed the male
infants in search of the newborn king (Jesus), but a mother painted
the doors of all the neighbourhood with the blood from the cut head of
a rooster, thus forging the sign and saving the life of her own son.
The rooster in Christian and pre-Christian cultures is the
image of the herald of sunrise. It is related to the notion of
resurrection of the dead, a symbol of the ever-resurrecting life. On
Petlyovden, a rooster is supposed to be slaughtered, usually at the
threshold of the front gate, and its blood is sprinkled all over the
gate for life and health. A sign of a cross is placed onto young boys’
foreheads with that blood. The rooster’s head is left at the gate; the
legs are thrown onto the roof of the house, while the feathers are
further kept as a special medicine or for ritual adornment.
A ritual meal of boiled rooster is prepared. Portions
of it alongside with ring-shaped bread buns, broken in smaller pieces,
are given away around the neighbourhood for health.
In the Plovdiv region, that feast day is known under the name
of Cherna or Tsrun Day (meaning “Black day”). There is a large number
of restrictions to be followed – women are not supposed to work that
day, neither to bathe or getting married – otherwise they might
“tsurneyat” (meaning “to mourn a close person who died”).
There is another
Rooster's Day
on February 2nd.
This
holiday is celebrated mainly in the Eastern part of Bulgaria, in order
to bring health to young boys. Ritual slaughtering of a rooster is
executed. This is usually done on the threshold of the yard door. It
is a good thing if the blood spreads onto the door and the surrounding
area. A cross sign is made on the faces of the boys and the youngsters
that slaughter the rooster with the blood of the bird. The head of the
rooster is left in front of the door and the rooster itself is boiled.
Typical bread and flat loaves are also prepared and given away to the
neighbours.
The slaughtering of the rooster is connected to the
legend of king Herod, who orders to decapitate all male children
because he wants to see Christ dead. In the Plovdiv region the holiday
is also known as the Black day. In that region people observe
different restrictions- women are not allowed to do any work, people
should not get married if they don't want to mourn for a dead man. The
holiday ends quite like Grandmother's day.
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PEACE HAVENS of BULGARIA
