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

In Bulgaria: Orthodox Church celebrates Palm Sunday, Catholics and Armenians - Easter

Patriarch Neophyte also attended the solemn liturgy at St. Alexander Nevsky Church, April 9, 2023.
Photo: BGNES

Holy Mass was held in the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia on the occasion of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. "May the peace and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all!" wished Patriarch Neophyte, who was present at the service. Palm Sunday is also known as Tsvetnitsa (from tsvete - flower) or Vrabnitsa (from varba - willow tree) in Bulgaria, where palm leaves are replaced with willow branches. Tomorrow begins Holy Week, the week of Christ's passion, crucifixion and resurrection.

Thousands gathered in the central Bulgarian town of Lovech, where there is a traditional crafts fair and a national festival of folk art and customs, BNR correspondent Plamen Hristov reports.

In the southeastern village of General Inzovo over 300 folklore lovers gathered today at the festival "From Palm Sunday to St. George's Day". The festival presents folk songs, dances, rituals and customs observed between the two major holidays, as our correspondent Daniela Kostova informs.

Catholics in Bulgaria celebrate Easter today. The faithful filled the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the town of Rakovski, home to the largest Catholic community in Bulgaria. 

Armenians are also celebrating Easter. In Silistra, however, they will celebrate it a week later in the oldest Armenian temple in Bulgaria, the 1620 St. Mary's Church, when a priest from Ruse will come to celebrate mass. Since the 1960s, the Armenians in Silistra have not had their own clergyman, BNR correspondent Nezabravka Kirova said. 



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

Mostly sunny Thursday with fog in some places

The night sky will be mostly clear and in the morning in many places in the valleys and around water basins there will be fog. During the day it will be sunny, but in the Danube Plain it will remain foggy. The lowest temperatures..

published on 11/12/25 7:35 PM
Georg Georgiev

Bulgaria is against removing the unanimity requirement for EU foreign policy decisions

Bulgaria consistently opposes proposals to remove the requirement for unanimity in decision-making within the framework of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev said in response to a question from MP..

published on 11/12/25 6:09 PM
Pavel Popov

Blagomir Kotsev to be mayor of Varna from detention center

"As of today, there will be no acting mayor of Varna and the position will be held by the legally elected mayor Blagomir Kotsev," said deputy Pavel Popov at a press conference. According to him, Kotsev will fulfill his duties and the..

published on 11/12/25 3:35 PM