Women in the New Testament

In the calendar of our Orthodox Church, today is Great Tuesday - a day for humility and sermon.

In church services, the last moral instructions of Jesus Christ are remembered.

In the folklore calendar, Great Tuesday is the day of ritual carrying of "silent" water by the maidens, which our ancestors used for communion and healing.

Today, the Orthodox Church honors Lazarus of Bethany, whom Jesus Christ resurrected.

The holiday of Lazarus Saturday is more popularly known as Lazarus Day and is celebrated on Saturday of the sixth week of Great Lent - eight days before the Resurrection (this year on April 16). With it, the preparation for Holy Week begins.

Today the Orthodox Church celebrates the conception of St. Anna. In the calendar of the Orthodox Church this holiday is closely connected with the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.

Orthodox Christians celebrate today their brightest holiday - Easter - the day on which the Son of God rose from the dead for eternal life.

We celebrate one of the greatest Christian feast - the Resurrection of Christ. In the Christian religion of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated on the third day after being crucified and buried. The empty tomb was seen by the women who were visiting the tomb. Then Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene and to the apostles.

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.

The Turkish security forces have seized a painting featuring the figures of Jesus and Virgin Mary in an operation in the southern province of Mersin, home to thousands of years of history.

The painting is carved on wood and dates back to the 11th and 13th centuries.

Bulgarians celebrate Monday Midsummer Day, widely known as Enyovden, a holiday related to traditional beliefs about herbs and their healing power.

On June 24 the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and it is believed that if collected before surise on this day, the herbs have the strongest healing power.

Mary Synatsakis is among the most loved celebrities in Greek showbiz. Her friendly and polite demeanour, along with a nearly constant smile on her face makes her extremely likeable to the people around her. However, the TV hostess was not always the glamorous persona we see today.

On July 25 the Orthodox Church commemorates the Dormition of Saint Anna, according to BGNES.

Saint Anna was a member of the Aaron family and mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

She is perceived as one of the main Christian symbols of maternity.