Every year on Saturday before the great Christian holiday of Pentecost, the Church marks the second All Souls' Day of the year, which the people call Cherry All Souls' Day because it always coincides with cherry harvest season.
In the calendar of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, All Souls' Day is celebrated on the Saturdays before Great Lent, before Pentecost and before Archangel's Day (November 8).
In every Orthodox church in the country, a liturgy and a memorial service are held, during which the priests read the names of deceased relatives of the people present.
It is a custom on this day for people to visit the graves of their deceased loved ones to clean them and decorate them with flowers. Then, they pour water and red wine over the dirt in memory of Christ's sacrifice for us and light a church candle.
It is also a tradition to pass boiled wheat, bread, wine, cherries and other foods to as many people as possible who say "May God forgive the dead”.
On All Souls' Day, believers do not do housework and direct their prayers and thoughts towards the spiritual salvation of the deceased.
Photos: BGNES, BTA
On September 6, 1885, Bulgaria again became a unified state. In an interview with Radio Bulgaria, history professor from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Ivan Ilchev tells us more about the factors that led to the Unification, when the..
For Bulgarians, who cherish and honour the memory of their ancestors, 6 September symbolises the unification of their nation, which endured five centuries of Ottoman oppression while preserving its faith and identity. After the liberation of Bulgaria..
A cave lion tooth has been discovered during excavations at the cave dwelling ''Chaya'' near the town of Chepelare, announced Marin Gospodinov, director of the Museum of the Rhodope Karst. According to him, this is an exceptionally valuable and..
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Overcast, rain