Rooster’s Day - a holiday for men in Bulgaria

In our latitudes, there is a special day dedicated to men and a male strength. This is Rooster’s Day (Petliov Day), which is celebrated on February 2. It is the second day of the winter holidays, which we have already told you about.

According to some beliefs, Rooster’s day is the heir of an ancient Slavic holiday in honor of hunting and beekeeping. Other theories claim that it is related to the heaviest tax for Bulgarian people in Turkish times - the blood tax*.

Origin of the Rooster Day

300-Year-Old Legends

*Folklore says that during the formation of the janissary troops, the boys from every Bulgarian house were forcibly recruited. However, one of the mothers decided to keep her son and cheated the Turks. She killed a rooster and used its blood to paint the gate of her house. When the soldiers came to pick up her child, she said that she killed him so she wouldn't give it to them. Her courage frightened the soldiers and they turned back.

Biblical Stories

Bulgarian traditions connect Rooster’s Day with the birth of Christ and it is in honor of survival. We know that King Herod ordered all infants to be killed, because he wanted Jesus death, but he was saved.

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