BLAGOEVGRAD, Bulgaria (AP) — Illuminated by the flickering glow of candlelight, priests approached the tables arranged in the shape of a cross in the middle of a church, enveloped in the heady scent of incense wafting from a censer. On the tables were jars of honey, waiting to be blessed on the day Bulgarians honor St. Haralambos, the patron saint of beekeepers.
“Those who consume the blessed and consecrated honey are given health, not only for themselves, but also for their bees,” said Rumen Gavrilov, a 69-year-old beekeeper who has attended every prayer in honor of St. Haralambos.
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