St. Haralambos (Charalambos) the Martyr

On February 10, the Bulgarian orthodox church celebrates the day of St. Haralambos, who lived in II century BC and died as a martyr in Magnesia (Tessalia), where he was a bishop, in 198, remaining faithful to his God. In the traditional folk calendar, the feast is also called Haralanbei, Aralanbei, Haralampovden, Chuminden (“chuma” in Bulgarian means “plague”) – the day, in which the Saint managed to catch the plague and shackle it in chains. Therefore, in icon painting, St. Haralambos, who is traditionally perceived as a master of all sicknesses, is often depicted as a master, holding in his hand the plague, which is either shackled in nine chains, or sealed in a bottle. The feast is mostly celebrated in the eastern parts of Bulgaria.
St. Haralambos is also worshipped as patron of all beekeepers.
On this day, everyone called Haralambos, Haralampos, Lambi, Lambri, Hari, Valentin, Valentina, Valeri, Valeria, celebrates their name day.