Name
day of everyone named Peter, Penka, Kamen, Pencho, Peyo, Pesho,
Petrana, Petrana; also Assen, Assya, Apostol, Krum, Chavdar; also
Pavel, Pavlin/a, Polya (although they rather celebrate on June 30th).
June
29th the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of the two apostles - Peter
and Paul: Petrovden and Pavlovden. In Bulgaria, though, Pavlovden is
more popular to be celebrated on the following day, June 30th.
This
holiday is in midsummer. The people are working hard in the fields,
“wheat is baked”. A legend says that St. Peter himself, on seeing how
people harvest, took the sickle to help them. The St. Peter Fast ends
with meat on the table – black chicken, slain on the threshold of the
house for health and strength, for Peter means ‘stone’. On the table
there are also juicy apples, consecrated at the morning service in
church.
St.Peter`s Jewish name was actually Simon; the name
Peter (meaning `rock`) was actually given to him by Jesus himself.
Peter used to be Jesus` favourite diciple - he used to call him `the
shepherd of the herd`. When Jesus was led to be trialled, it was only
Peter and one more diciple that followed him. In the courtyard of the
high priest Caiaphas, the frightened Peter denied knowing Jesus three
consecutive times. When he heard the crock crowing, Peter remembered
what the Savior had prophecied: `Before the crock crows, you will deny
me three times`, and he went away weeping bitterly. After the
ressurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter first, to resume his apostleship.
Peter
continued preaching and performed numerous miracles and cured people in
Palestine, Asia Minor, Greece and other places. Peter found his death
crucified in the city of Rome, in the time of Caesar Nero. Later, on
top of his grave a magnificent temple was erected - one of the largest
in the whole Christian world.