Bulgarian Orthodox Church

The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church made a public address to the people for the new 2021.   "With gratitude to God and with new hope for Bulgaria and for the whole world we cross the threshold of 2021.

On December 6, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the Day of Saint Nicholas, the Miracle Worker.

The traditional dish on that day is fish, most often carp.

According to the legend, St. Nicholas was the patron saint of sailors and fishermen, and more recently is considered the patron of bankers and merchants. Nearly 200,000 people in Bulgaria have a name day.

On April 20, 1876, Bulgaria marks 144 years since the April Uprising broke out in Koprivshtitsa, thanks to which Bulgaria appeared on the map of Europe.

The Holy Week for Orthodox Christians begins on Monday after Palm Sunday.

The last week of Lent is called the Holy Week because it is dedicated to the memories of the last days of the earthly life of the Christian savior Jesus Christ - his sufferings, the death of Jesus by crucifixion and his burial.

The Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria mark today one of the biggest Christian feasts- the Entry of Christ to Jerusalem, also known as Palm Sunday. Over 367,000 Bulgarians, of whom 283,000 are women, celebrate their name day today.  

Today, on April 11th  the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the traditional St. Lazar's Day, known here as Lazarovden.

The holiday is celebrated each year on the eight day (last Saturday) before Easter with typical ceremonies called Lazaruvane. The day is a festival devoted to young girls, pastures, fields and woods.

Metropolitan Neofit of Sofia, the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, has drawn anger - and some ridicule - after his office said church services would continue in the country - despite concerns about transmission of the coronavirus - as the holy sacraments could not possibly transmit a disease.

As part of a series of introductory meetings with representatives of different institutions in Bulgaria, at the beginning of her mandate, the new Turkish ambassador to Sofia Aylin Sekizkök met with Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte.

Two major celebrations are taking place on February 14 in Bulgaria, with Valentine's day coinciding with the national feast of wine and vine.

Bulgaria's Minister of Culture Boil Banov announced on Monday afternoon that an exhibition of Bulgarian religious artefacts that were to be displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris has been cancelled.