Bulgaria Marks the Day of Saints Peter and Paul

On 29 June, the Orthodox Church commemorates the memory of the great apostles St Peter and St Paul – disciples of Christ.

Peter was originally called Simon and was the son of a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galilee. His brother Andrew first became a disciple of Christ and brought Simon to Jesus. The Saviour called him “Cephas” (in Hebrew) or Peter (in Greek), meaning “rock”. The name of the Apostle Peter is mentioned throughout the Gospels. He was one of Christ’s closest disciples. When Jesus was brought to trial, only Peter and one of the disciples followed him. In the courtyard of the high priest, however, overcome by fear, he denied Christ three times. When the rooster crowed, he remembered the prophecy of the Saviour: “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today before you deny three times that you know me,” and he repented bitterly.

After the Resurrection, Christ appeared first to Peter in order to restore his apostleship. Traditionally, Peter is regarded as the teacher of the Jews, while Paul is the teacher of the Gentiles. Peter preached in Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Caesarea, Jerusalem, Syria and Antioch. He also reached Egypt. He travelled to Britain and Greece and was in Corinth. Around 67 AD he arrived in Rome, where Emperor Nero initiated persecutions against Christians. Peter was imprisoned and, on 29 June, handed over to death. He was sentenced to crucifixion. Peter, however, asked to be crucified upside down, considering himself unworthy of the same death as the Saviour.

The feast in honour of Saints Peter and Paul is also associated with protection from fire, lightning and hailstorms. In the folk calendar, Peter’s Day is preceded by Peter’s fasts, which begin in the first week after Pentecost. On this day the fast ends, and it is customary to break it with a young “Peter’s chicken”. The feast coincides with the harvest period, and work is usually done only in the first half of the day.

On Peter’s Day, those named Petar, Petrana, Petya, Pavel, Pavlin, Pavlina, Polina, Penka, Pencho and Kamen celebrate their name day.