Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Orthodox Christians venerate St. Anna - Mother of the Theotokos 

Photo: Archive

On December 9th we celebrate St. Anna - the mother of the Virgin Mary. Joachim and Anna had been childless for many years and prayed to God to grant them a baby. One day an angel of the Lord appeared to Anna and told her that she would give birth to a daughter, Mary, for the salvation of the world. Grateful for the news, she promised to dedicate the child to God. True to her word, she and her husband took the three-year-old girl to the temple. 

St Anna is the patron saint of marriage, family, motherhood and women. 

The Orthodox Church also honours St. Anna in the summer, on 25 July, when the day of her succession is celebrated. Today's day is known in popular tradition as St. Anne's Winter or St. Anne's Conception. Traditionally, the meal is fasted, as the feast falls during Christmas Lent. 
In Hebrew, the name Anna means grace, mercy, favour. Name Day on 9 December celebrates all those who bear the name Anna, Anka, etc.



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

On Archangel All Souls' Day believers honour the dead and give alms

There are three special days on the calendar of the Bulgarian Orthodox church, on which believers pray to God and give alms to honour the memory of their dear departed. The three All Souls’ Days always fall on the Saturdays before Meat..

published on 11/2/24 4:30 AM

The secret mission of a Zeppelin L 59 or how Yambol went down in history with a world record

One frosty November morning in 1917, as World War I was raging, a Zeppelin L 59 took off from the air base near Yambol bound for Tanzania. The purpose of the flight was to deliver ammunition and materials to the German military units in a remote..

updated on 11/1/24 11:32 AM
Aleksandar Balan (1859-1959)

Bulgaria marks 165 years since the birth of prominent linguist Aleksandar Balan

October 27 marks the 165th anniversary of the birth of Academician Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan, who was the first theorist of the Bulgarian literary language, phonetics and grammar.  He was born was born in 1859 in the village of Kubey, Bessarabia...

published on 10/27/24 4:19 PM