On the second of February, the Orthodox Church celebrates Meeting of the Lord or Winter Virgin Mary. Forty days after the birth of Jesus, the Virgin Mary went to the Jerusalem temple, for Jesus to be presented and consecrated to God.
Also present at the ritual was a pious old man named Simeon, who is believed to have been one of the seventy translators of the Old Testament text of the Bible from Hebrew to Greek. In addition to him, the prophetess Anna was also in the temple, who recognized the Child as the Son of God.
From that day, the Church of Christ counted the Meeting of the Lord among the twelve great holidays of the year. According to folk customs, the holiday is called Petl'ovden Legends say that in the years when the Ottomans took Bulgarian boys from their mothers as janissaries in the village. Erkech, a mother refused to give her child.
The Janissaries threatened her that if she didn't give it the next day they would kill him. Then she told them that she would take her child's life herself, but would not give it to them. It got dark and the woman hid her son far away, and then killed a rooster and sprinkled its blood around the house.
When the janissaries came, they were dumbfounded and no longer took the children from their mothers.
Today, on the festive table, Kurban soup prepared with rooster meat or another dish, cabbage, festive pita, cow pies is served.
Happy Holidays!
