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

Fasting as a personal sacrifice in the traditional practices of Bulgarians

Photo: library

Christmas is drawing closer, and with it – the end of the Advent fast. There are people, even those who do not adhere to the Christian faith, who believe that purification at a physical level – by abstaining from food of animal origin – leads to spiritual elevation.

It is an established fact that Bulgarians obeyed different food and drink restrictions even before their official conversion to Christianity. For example, at certain times in the calendar cycle, food of a certain colour was forbidden, or some fruits could only be eaten around given dates etc.

Even in our day, Christian priests recommend fasting in some cases, outside of the official dates set down in the church calendar. As far as the official fast days are concerned, observing a strict fast is deemed particularly important, it is called trimiri in Bulgarian – when you only drink water, the strictest fast of all being even without water. One such period is from the 20th to the 24th of December, and it ends on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day the fast is broken (the word for that in Bulgarian is otgovyavane), and meat, eggs and dairy products are eaten.

Find out more about the meaning of fasting and the traditional practices in Bulgaria from Fasting – a different perspective in our workaday lives and during festive season from Radio Bulgaria’s collection.

Editing by Albena Bezovska



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

Metropolitan Antony: The Light of Christ’s Resurrection gives us grace-filled strength on the path of life

Today, the entire Christian world celebrates the Bright Resurrection of Christ. For Orthodox peoples, this is the most radiant and joyful day - the Feast of Feasts - which proclaims the victory of life over death. In Bulgaria, we call it Velikden (“Great..

published on 4/20/25 8:00 AM

Palm Sunday – with a scent of spring and anticipation of the great Resurrection

With a scent of spring and anticipation of the great Resurrection of Christ, Palm Sunday is among the most beloved holidays in Bulgaria. From early morning, people fill the churches and share their joy through prayer at the festive..

published on 4/13/25 5:55 AM

It's Todorovden again - a holiday on which we look forward to summer

The day of Saint Theodore known in Bulgarian as Todorovden is a significant Bulgarian holiday, which is celebrated on the Saturday after Cheesefare Sunday - this year its date is March 8.  Todorovden combines pagan beliefs and Orthodox canon..

published on 3/8/25 5:05 AM