Rooster day Painting

According to an old Bulgarian tradition, in some parts of the country on February 2 "Rooster day " is celebrated. The date in folk traditions is accepted as a celebration of the survival and preservation of male strength. During the Turkish slavery at this time of year, the enslavers went to take Bulgarian boys as janissaries. From which house they took a boy, they put a bloody sign on the gate. According to the legend, in order not to give her boy a janissary, a Bulgarian mother slaughtered a rooster and marked the outer doors of her home with his blood in order to deceive the enslavers. Indeed, as soon as they saw the blood on the door, they passed the house, convinced that the child had already been taken. In honor of the rooster, the holiday is called "Rooster Day" by the people According to tradition, today the sacrificial bird is slaughtered on the doorstep, and with its blood on the foreheads of the boys a sign of the cross is made to keep them alive and healthy. The bird's head is left at the gate, and the feathers are preserved and used in children's diseases. The slaughtered rooster is cooked, and from it is distributed to neighbors for the health of the boys, who are the descendants of the family.