2
All Souls' Day, known as Cherry All Souls'Day, after the fruit popular in this season, falls on the Saturday before Pentecost. On this day Orthodox Christians honour their dead, go to their graves to clean them and pour water and red wine over them and light a candle.
Believers go to church where they write down the names of their deceased loved ones, so the priests can pray for their souls during the memorial services held across the country.
It is also a day of charity, with the food left after the shared meal - wheat, bread, wine and fruit - given to the needy.
In 1018, after half a century of struggle, the First Bulgarian Empire was conquered by Byzantium. Despite the many uprisings of the Bulgarians, the power of Constantinople lasted for nearly two centuries. In the autumn of 1185 or the..
On 19 October, Bulgarians commemorate St Ivan Rilski, also known as St John of Rila, who is considered the country’s heavenly protector. He founded the Rila Monastery, which is the largest and most influential spiritual centre in Bulgaria. Ivan..
Father Genadiy Martinov is a Bessarabian Bulgarian, born in the village of Devetliy, Odessa province (Ukraine). Two centuries ago, his family lived in Eastern Thrace, near Edirne, but after the end of the Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829), during a period..
In 1018, after half a century of struggle, the First Bulgarian Empire was conquered by Byzantium. Despite the many uprisings of the..
Overcast, rain
Rain