From "Once upon a time - manners and worldview of the Bulgarians"
According to the Bible, Archangel Michael is the chief angel of God. He guards the body of Moses and leads the souls of the dead to Heaven or Hell. And there, at the gates of Heaven, as we know, stands St. Peter, the heavenly locksmith, who strictly keeps track of who has lived godly in his notebook. Archangel Michael is one of the four archangels in the Old Testament (along with Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel) and one of the seven archangels in the Bible. He helped God in the creation of the World. Archangel Michael is also the leader of the angels and the entire heavenly host, the arch-strategist, and the patron saint of soldiers. When Lucifer becomes proud and God casts him out of Heaven, the Archangel fights with the fallen one and casts him out of the kingdom of heaven (Revelation of John). In iconography, he is depicted with a sword and writing in his hand, he is always painted at the entrance of Orthodox churches, to remind us to enter God's house with pure thoughts and hearts.
The people call the Archangel Soul Guide. People believed that when the last hour came, the saint cut the thin, silver thread connecting the soul to the body with his sword and led it to heaven. But he could also revive. Sometimes he is depicted except with a sword and with scales in his hand, because just like St. Peter measured the sins of the people.
The holiday is kept in secret by the elderly, who hope that the Archangel will not visit them soon, and that when he does, that their death will be quick and easy. A sacrifice is made, right in the churchyard, and the sacrificial animal is consecrated. Usually a male animal is slaughtered - a ram or a ram. The head and limbs are boiled whole and burned with incense, and the skin is donated to the church. The women knead and exchange rites of bread, which they call "Rangel's bread" or "Lord's bread". The whole family gathers at the table, but there were often village gatherings as well. On the Saturday before the holiday there is one of the biggest stews - Archangel's stew, when the souls of the dead are honored. The women go to the cemetery and distribute boiled wheat and bread for repose, for "God forgive".
© 2023 Iliana Dechkov