Bulgaria marks Marriage Week for the 13^th consecutive year. Marriage Week takes place from February 7 to 14 and is celebrated in 30 countries. It is gaining popularity thanks to the support of celebrities, representatives of various institutions, the Bulgarian Patriarch, mayors of municipalities and specialists in the field of family health. Numerous events and seminars related to the topic of marriage and family relations also help in this regard.
"This year, there will be more than 35 events aimed at deepening intimacy and love in marriage", psychologist Mihaela Djorgova from the Society and Values Association said in an interview for Radio Bulgaria.

The association invites couples to improve their communication. On the other hand, it interacts with institutions by offering various ways to strengthen family bonds. This year, for example, the Ministry of Education and Science has accepted their idea to include lessons on family values and relationships in the subject "Religion-Morality’'.

According to statistics, cohabitations without marriage are characterized by much greater instability and more infidelities. Furthermore, the expectations of the partners are different.

''Studies show that men are in such cohabitation until they find a more suitable partner - said Mihaela Djorgova. – On the other hand, women think that they have found the right person. It is important to realize that cohabitation often occurs because expenses are lower. Due to various conveniences, we are often inclined to be with someone we don’t necessarily want as a marriage partner. At some point, however, when a child is born, we continue to be with that person. I think that Bulgaria is among the EU countries with the highest number of children born out of wedlock. Eurostat statistics show that 60% of children are born out of wedlock, especially among younger people up to 39 years of age.''

According to the latest census in Bulgaria, in the last 10 years the number of couples living as life partners has increased from 8% to 17.4%. Therefore, the aim of the initiative is to draw attention to the positive aspects of marital relationships and to encourage couples to maintain their intimacy. One way is through positive messages of celebrity couples who reveal the benefits of marital relationships to the media.

''We give a chance to popular and not so well-known married couples to explain why marriage is valuable to them. Among them are Kremena and Magi Halvadjian, the well-known psychologist Madlen Algafari and her husband, the media expert Nidal Algafari, Maria Grozdeva and her husband Valeri Petrov, the former captain of the national volleyball team Vlado Nikolov and his wife Maya, etc. Thus, with examples from various married couples, the important messages about marriage reach people more easily. When we launched the initiative in 2012, Bulgaria was last in Europe in terms of the number of marriages per capita. According to Eurostat data, marriages in our country increased by 37% before the coronavirus pandemic’’.

"We also monitor the state's policies in the field of marriage. We have submitted proposals to the State Agency for Child Protection in support of children and families, explaining why it is important to preserve marriage between a man and a woman. If we want Bulgaria to exist and our economy to develop, it is important that the institutions and the state promote marriages. For instance, Hungary allocates 5% of its GDP to increase fertility and promote families and motherhood. The best gift for children is a good marital relationship, when both parents love, appreciate and understand each other. This is the most precious thing for children and it should be encouraged", Mihaela Djorgova said further.