Today in Bulgaria we celebrate Ilinden and as I have a dear friend ,who was born in this day and have the name in this holiday, I decided to tell you a bit about it. Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates today the memory of St. prophet Elijah. He is considered one of the great righteous men and herald the true faith in the One God.
He lived about 900 years before Christ and was born in the town Tesviya, Palestine. People of all ages have had homage to his spiritual closeness to God. Even today his footsteps in Palestine are considered to be illuminated by his strength. Believers honor the saint who is the patron of lightning and thunder and protect the crops on farmers from fire. St. Elijah brings rain and moisture and he is a protector of the life. In the Bulgarian folk calendar Ilinden is the largest summer festival during harvest. On this day, farmers in the country do prayers for rain, and in some regions in Bulgaria the day before the holiday is done the ritual for the chasing on dragon – a symbol of the drought.
According to folk legend on Ilinden should not work because lightning can strike you. Do not walk on the beach ,because the sea takes sacrifice on that day. It is believed that , what is the nature of the first man who came into your house, such will be the entire next year.