To detach the devil

Bell Project Interviews: Pesho, the Pious.

Listen now – the theft is also committed by Gypsies, you know, when there’s no money, he has no feeling for something godly, you know, spiritual, to stop him from stealing what’s been given. And from this point of view, such things get lost.  I think that locally there is no one who would do such a thing.  The way it’s valuable in case of fire, so it’s valuable in case of somebody dying. It was not once, but twice stolen.

Do you miss the bell?

Why shouldn’t I miss it? For dead people, and for fire, too, and for many things in life, it is a necessity, since ancient times. Now a dead person has to be taken without a bell to announce he died. This has been for centuries, since our great-grandfathers. So we do a dark job, a spiritual one. But what can one do? We took the second bell from Varshets, from Father Petko at the church. It got stolen, too. A more spiritual path can be chosen, to know who these people are, but the authorities hide them. I understand lifetime imprisonment, in this way thefts will disappear. Otherwise, I don’t see these people to have any feeling, that’s disappearing… See that spiritual people are most oppressed, those who have faith, they get demoted … And who gets promoted? As it is said in the Bible: the devil, the Satan, the lie. That’s where the combination is. While spiritual people drop out.

Do you have a childhood memory of this bell?

There was no such bell in the region of Berkovitsa… meaning it was a very valuable bell.
In (Dolna) Bela Rechka, you will go some time to the church, when they open it, to see
how dimly it chimes … There was no such ring nowhere…

And now how can we protect it? How to make sure it has a good ring and how to protect it?

It’s very dear to commission such a thing.

It’s not only money, but also tin, and copper, and lead. Bronze, yellow one, you need to ask the caster. It might be very expensive but be sure it’s gonna be beautiful. Material for chiming.

How to protect it? With some prayers? Or to install it on some special holiday?

I tell you honestly, I had old parents, they died, when you install it there, with a swearing, if someone touches it, to know that in several months… before God everything is known… I went nine years to Vanga, from 1980 to 1989. My arms had a very poor blood circulation. I didn’t go to church. We went with my wife, in 1981. She said: ‘Petar, you don’t go to church, you don’t pray to God.’ I went regularly for ten years. Now that my health is very bad, I don’t go. This is very precious. Here is the truth, here is the solution. Don’t think of those who fight for governments. This is a Satan’s thing. God has given justice. God has given truth. And you’ll see how we shall all be like sisters and brothers. And we hate each other…

(note: Vanga is a legendary Bulgarian prophetess from the town of Petrich. She was born on 1911 and died in 1996.)

You were a late believer, were you?

I had a heart attack in bed, I was gonna die.

And then you went to Vanga?

After one year. And she said: ‘Petar, what happened with you on February 13th, from 3 to 5? Before God there is no secret, no hiding. What happened? I said: ‘Death set in.’ ‘And that time,’ she said. ‘Jesus Christ saved you. ’ Are you going to believe, are you going to follow the right path? And I’ve come to the conclusion, about such a belfry, this is something you cannot protect.

Only with some prayer.

A prayer, but this prayer is gonna hurt a lot.

Why?

Now I will give you one example… to touch something and it’s something given with cussedness… this thing with the bell is a blessing, but to keep it from theft, to make sure that this man sooner or later, up to several months will be eliminated.

Isn’t that cruel?

It might be cruel, but to keep it from theft, it will be like this. It shouldn’t be touched. This is not for you, this is for the society. There is money, which is with cussedness, since Turkish times. Buried, in Bulgaria.

Why with cussedness?

This money was given for the Liberation of Bulgaria, it was not given for you or me. This money was meant for those who liberated us, those people fought for the truth. Do you believe? I do, so from this point of view. We can’t be brothers with just anyone. I am very keen to give not 20, but 30 leva to see who is taking these bells in Bela Rechka. They are re-melted, sold as scrap, but I ask about the other thing – the people will be detached, it’s known who they are by God, but no one here is interested. I am interested. To detach the devil. Who were they? They might be dead, but it should be known who they were, where from.

Do you think it can be found?

I bet 100 leva. What do you think? There are no secrets, God is the truth… Many things would be said if we were sincere, brotherly. Otherwise, no. We can’t achieve anything.  Our village has a great history. But… few people know it. My grandfather was a mayor ten years prior to the liberation. He was a mayor, grandpa Toma. This monastery which was above us, back then it was set on fire by the Turks, it had three priests. Up to this ditch here, from here all the way to Slavcho, the Baker – all this was sheep-pens belonging to the monastery.

8th March, 2008, in a conversation with Diana.

Download pesho_nabozhnia.pdf