St. Petka Day

On October 14, all orthodox Christians celebrate the day of St. Paraskeva-Petka Elivatska. She was born in XI century in a Bulgarian family, living in the Thracian town of Epivat, which is between Silivria and Constantinople. Her parents were very religious, and after they died St. Petka gave all their property to the poor and strictly devoted herself to the monastic life and committed her life to God in a small temple in Irakli. Five years later, she went to the Holy land (Palestine) to live in the desert of Jordan. In her old age, she returned to Epivat, where she died. Two centuries after her death (in 1238), the Bulgarian ruler Ivan Asen decided to move St. Petka’s relics from Epivat to Tarnovo, the capital of Bulgaria.  After the Turkish occupation of Bulgaria, there relics were moved again – first to Vidin on the Danube river, and later – to Belgrade. In 1521 after the mighty Sulleyman II conquered Belgrade, St. Petka's remains were moved to Constantinople. There her remains were received with great respect and solemnity. Numerous miracles occurred there, which caused the holy Mother Petka-Paraskeva also to be worshipped by Muslims. In 1641, with permission from Constantinople's patriarch Partenije I, the pious Moldavian ruler Vasilije Lupul brought St. Petka's remains to the Romanian town of Jash, where they still rest. According to traditional Bulgarian believes, the day of St. Petka marks the end of the summer and the beginning of winter. On this day, all people called Petka, Petko, and Petkana celebrate their name day.