From "Once upon a time - manners and worldview of the Bulgarians"

In popular beliefs St. Haralampi is the patron of the disease that claimed thousands of victims in the past - the plague. In the past, in order to propitiate the saint, the Bulgarians worshiped him mainly in Northern and Eastern Bulgaria, and today it is preserved in the vicinity of the town of Elena. It is also known as Chuminden.

On this day, women should not work, so that the disease does not enter their home. The word plague should not be mentioned during the day. That's why people, if they talk about the disease, called it the Aunt, Honey and other caressing epithets to appease it. Early in the morning they sweep the whole house and begin to move the ritual bread, which is in the form of loaves. Ready loaves are smeared with honey, which was previously burnt in the church, and distributed to relatives and friends. If the people in a family are in mourning, which usually lasts a year, they may not distribute any ritual breads and cakes, but they may be given by others.

St. Haralampi is also the patron saint of beekeepers. This is not by chance, just as it is not by chance that the ritual breads of this day are smeared with honey. As is known, honey is one of the main products with healing properties in folk medicine.

In the past, people had a legitimate fear of the plague, because in the Middle Ages throughout Europe, this disease claimed thousands of victims. Several plague epidemics broke out in the area of the old capital Tarnovo during the Middle Ages, but in general our country did not suffer such defeats as it did in Western Europe. The victims of the disease were not only ordinary people, noble boyars also died. In 1237, the Bulgarian queen Anna-Maria and one of her children died.

Saint Haralampi lived in the 2nd century. He was a bishop in the city of Magnesius, in the region of Thessaly in Greece. He died for the faith in 198. from AD

© 2023 Iliana Dechkova