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

Transition to Lent starts on Meat Shrovetide

Photo: BTA

Always on Sunday, eight weeks before Easter, Orthodox Christians mark Mesni Zagovezni or Meat Shrovetide. During the liturgy, the Church recalls the image of the Last Judgment through the texts in the Holy Scriptures. The themes of sinfulness and retribution in the afterlife are touched upon there, therefore the call to the faithful is to detach themselves from the daily grind and devote themselves to good deeds during the lent.

The day is marked in a family circle, as meat dishes (usually chicken or rooster) are present at the festive table. It is the last day before Lent, when it is allowed to eat meat. In folk traditions, this is also the last Sunday, during which young people can gather for dances and singing.



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

Exhibition in Sozopol showcases monuments from ancient cities around the Black Sea

A trilingual exhibition titled “Egyptian Cults around the Black Sea” opens today at 6 PM at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol , according to BNR – Burgas. Part of an international research project, the exhibition is organized by the Institute of..

published on 8/7/25 5:55 PM
The building of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox church

Bulgarian Orthodox Church calls for vigilance against self-proclaimed spiritual leaders

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement on “pagan neo-Hindu propaganda with pseudo-Christian elements”. The bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church call for greater vigilance against “touring gurus, self-proclaimed “spiritual..

published on 8/7/25 10:14 AM

The restored second male statue from ancient city of Heraclea Sintica officially presented

Our lands are the cradle of ancient civilizations. Thanks to Bulgarian archaeologists, they are becoming known to the general public, said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov at the presentation in Sofia of the restored statue of a man from the ancient..

published on 8/6/25 9:07 AM