Saint Paraskeva Day
27 October 2026 — May the lamp's light shine upon your home. Happy slava!
Saint Paraskeva Day, known in Bulgarian as Petkovden, honours Saint Paraskeva (Petka), a beloved saint of Orthodox Christians across the Balkans. In Serbia she is among the most widely celebrated family patron saints. The slava is a family feast in honour of a patron saint, handed down from father to son. Her church date is 14 October in the Julian calendar (the old style), which in the 21st century falls on 27 October in the modern calendar. That is why Serbia, whose church follows the Julian calendar, marks it on 27 October. In Bulgaria, Petkovden is celebrated on 14 October, as the Bulgarian Orthodox Church follows the Revised Julian calendar. At a slava, a kandilo (oil lamp) and a candle are lit, a generous table is laid, and a ceremonial slava bread (slavski kolač) is prepared. Many people also visit holy springs associated with the saint, such as the one by the small church at Kalemegdan in Belgrade. The feast follows the church calendar rather than any astronomical event, but in late autumn, as nights grow longer, the glow of a lamp feels especially warm.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver figure of a small hanging oil lamp (kandilo) made of pale glowing dots and fine lines, like a constellation drifting across the night sky
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