Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Today is the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Photo: BGNES

Every year on 21 November the church marks the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the 12 Great Feasts of the year, celebrated by both the Eastern Orthodox and the Catholic Church.

By a decision of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church from 1929, the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also celebrated in Bulgaria as the Day of the Christian Family. It coincides with the start of the Nativity Fast. On this day, at the end of church service in Eastern Orthodox houses of worship, believers receive Holy Communion.

Going to church as a family on this day symbolized the entry into the temple by 3-year old Mary, the future Mother of God. It is a reminder to parents of their spiritual obligations to their children. After returning from church the family gathers around the table which has always been a symbol of a strong family bond. The table is not cleared away so that when Virgin Mary comes during the night she will have something to eat and will bless the house.

Read more about the Day of the Christian Family here.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

The baptism of Tsar Boris I (painter Nikolai Pavlovich)

Celebrations of the 1160th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Bulgaria

This year, 2025, marks 1160 years since the baptism of our Bulgarian people into the Orthodox faith and 1170 years since the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet and Slavic literature. On this occasion, the Varna and Veliki Preslav Bishopric Metropolis..

published on 5/1/25 7:05 AM
Monument to Pavel Bobekov in the centre of Panagyurishte

Pavel Bobekov and the grammar of the April Uprising

Bulgaria celebrates 149 years since the April Uprising – an event that led to the liberation of Bulgaria after almost five centuries of Ottoman rule. Today, nearly a century and a half later, we must not forget that every participant in the April..

published on 5/1/25 6:25 AM

Religious education in schools is not indoctrination, says Patriarch Daniil

The introduction of the subject "Virtues and Religions" in schools is not aimed at indoctrinating children, but at informing and educating them. Faith is something personal, Patriarch Daniil said in an interview for public service TV BNT. “Faith is..

published on 4/30/25 10:11 AM