ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Water blessing ceremony of the Bulgarian Army Flags to take place on Epiphany

President Radev at the water blessing ceremony in central Sofia on Epiphany (archive)
Photo: president.bg

On January 6, the feast of Epiphany, the traditional water blessing of the battle flags and holy flags of the Bulgarian Army will be celebrated in all garrisons of the country. The solemn ritual in Sofia will begin at 11:00 in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. 

The water blessing ceremony will be held by His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil. 

The ceremony will be attended by the Bulgarian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Rumen Radev, who will accept the honorary formation of the representative units of the Bulgarian Army and lay a wreath in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. Vice President Iliana Iotova, Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov and Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov will also be present.



For the first time, the blessing of the battle flags was performed during the reign of Tsar Simeon I before the Battle of Aheloy in 917. Until the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule, the blessing of the flags was performed before every battle fought by the Bulgarian army. 

After the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule in 1878, the tradition was restored by the first military minister of the Principality of Bulgaria, Pyotr Dmitrievich Parensov, and continued until 1946, the Ministry of Defense indicates. After the fall of Communism in Bulgaria, the ritual was restored in 1993.

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.
Radio Bulgaria News    battle flags Epiphany flags of the Bulgarian army water blessing of the Bulgarian military flags

More from category

Patriarch Daniil: In peace with God and with our neighbours, let us work together for our salvation

Patriarch Danil of Bulgaria, Metropolitan of Sofia, greeted the faithful with the joyful words "Christ is risen!"  In his Easter message, he called on Orthodox Christians to share the extraordinary joy of heaven with the world through a life of light and..

published on 4/20/25 7:15 AM

Warmer weather and mostly sunny Easter

During the night, the cloud cover will break and decrease. There will still be light rain showers in some places in the southern regions of Bulgaria until midnight. On Sunday morning, visibility will be reduced in some places in the..

published on 4/19/25 6:45 PM

BOC sends Easter message to believers in and outside the homeland

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church, headed by Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil and members of the Holy Synod, sent a patriarchal and synodal Easter message to Christian believers. "May the joy of the news of..

published on 4/19/25 5:30 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 20
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 18
Partly Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 24
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 22
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 25
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 22
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 19
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 22
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 21
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 23
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 22
Partly Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 23
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Blind ultrarunner Victor Asenov inducted into the Everesting Hall of Fame

Blind ultrarunner Victor Asenov has officially become part of the Everesting Hall of Fame, Sportal.bg reports. Between March 21 and 23, the..

published on 4/18/25 3:59 PM

Border Police: Traffic on the Danube Bridge in Ruse is limited to one lane

Border Police remind that major repairs are underway on the Bulgarian section of the Danube Bridge in Ruse, and because of this, a temporary traffic..

published on 4/18/25 10:41 AM

13 people detained in Sofia during Police operation against illegal migration

Thirteen people were arrested in central Sofia during a specialized police operation aimed at countering illegal migration and preventing crimes..

published on 4/18/25 5:37 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"