Joseph

In the Orthodox Church, December 26 marks a significant celebration dedicated to the Holy Mother of God and Saint Joseph, commemorating their roles in the life of Jesus Christ.

Bulgarian Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ today, marking the Nativity with traditions and festivities. Name day celebrations abound, with individuals such as Hristo, Radoslav, Bozhidar, Emil, Emmanuel, Christian, Reneta, Christiana, Christian, Christiana, Christina, Christina and others.

The British Embassy in Athens and the Benaki Museum have launched a new collaborative initiative, with the "Grand Tour" exhibition. As part of this initiative, the UK Government Art Collection is loaning 17 pieces from the British Ambassador's Residence in Athens to the Benaki for display at its Ghika Gallery, through June 1, 2025.

An arbitrary increase in annual private school fees, which became a hot topic on the country's agenda for some people, reaching up to 294,000 liras ($17,750), cannot be accepted, Education Minister Mahmut Özer has said.

"We are evaluating all complaints from parents on this issue and will intervene if needed," Özer said on June 7.

For the Orthodox world, today is Holy Monday. This is the first day of Holy Week, which commemorates the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.

Vratsa Metropolitan Gregory:

After the assassination of the president, the shooting lasted all night. The suspects were killed and arrested, but not all. Some cops were held hostage.
Security forces are still fighting some of the remaining suspects in the state capital Port-au-Prince, reports the BBC.

The most popular name given to a baby girl in Turkey was "Zeynep" in 2020, while the most popular baby boy name was "Yusuf," according to a written statement from the Interior Ministry.

A total of 1,091,043 babies were born in Turkey in 2020, with 51 percent males and the rest females.

According to the Gospel tradition, Jesus Christ was born on December 25 in Bethlehem, so, with the differences in calendars, that date is respected in the entire Christian world as the beginning of a new era and a new history of mankind.

Archbishop Elpidophoros of America has issued an encyclical on the feast of Christmas encouraging people to keep the faith amid tough times.

Speaking of Joseph and Mary at the time Jesus came to Earth, Elpidophoros says, "Theirs was a time of gifts in the midst of humble paucity."

Below is the full message:

Beloved Brethren in the Lord,

American Balkans expert and a former advisor and supporter of Joseph Biden, Michael Carpenter, said in an interview with the Serbian Telegraph that Washington would accept any solution agreed by Serbs and Albanians. He also points out that there are no red lines on this issue - everything is up to Belgrade and Pristina.