Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 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

Late medieval Bulgarian clothing and weaponry on display at the Baba Vida fortress in Vidin

"Late Medieval Bulgarian Clothing and Armour" is the name of the new permanent exhibition at the Baba Vida Fortress in the town of Vidin on the Danube.  Visitors can see the clothing, armour and accoutrements of the late Middle Ages in the Bulgarian..

published on 7/4/24 6:50 AM

Scientists and linguists in Tsaribrod recalled stories of remarkable Bulgarians in Serbia

The International Scientific Forum "Cultural Bridges: the Stories of Remarkable Bulgarians in Serbia" took place at the end of June in the town of Tsaribrod in Serbia. It was organised with the financial support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and..

published on 7/2/24 2:11 PM

Bulgaria elects its new Patriarch

On All Saints' Day, when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the Synaxis   of All-Praiseworthy Twelve Apostles of Christ and the memory of all known and unknown martyrs and confessors of Christ, the laity in Bulgaria were rewarded for their faith...

published on 7/1/24 1:34 PM