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

Ministry of the Interior prepares for Easter with increased road checks and traffic enforcement

The Ministry of the Interior announced in a briefing that it is taking all necessary measures to ensure a smooth flow of traffic during the upcoming Easter holidays .  Maximum speed on highways to become 130 km/h Police teams will be stationed..

published on 4/16/25 3:31 PM

NFC launches digital platform to attract investment in film production

The Executive Agency National Film Center (NFC) has launched a new digital platform Filmcenter.bg . The portal facilitates free access for international and Bulgarian professionals to key information, contacts and resources in the Bulgarian film..

published on 4/16/25 1:44 PM

Ten INSAIT interns selected from over 400 applicants

In 2025, a record number of 4,000 students from elite universities around the world applied for the summer research program of the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology - INSAIT at Sofia University,..

published on 4/16/25 12:06 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 8 | Max: 20
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 15
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 11 | Max: 19
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 16
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 11 | Max: 16
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 11 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 17
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 8 | Max: 21
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 9 | Max: 20
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 11 | Max: 14
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 18
Overcast, rain
Min: 11 | Max: 19
Overcast, rain
Min: 8 | Max: 17
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 15
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 9 | Max: 20
Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 16
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 20
Overcast, rain
Min: 7 | Max: 19
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 6 | Max: 15
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 17
Overcast, rain
Min: 7 | Max: 20
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 7 | Max: 16
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Min: 8 | Max: 20
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 7 | Max: 17
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 7 | Max: 20
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

Temperatures will drop, it will rain over Western and Central Bulgaria on Friday

On Friday, the minimum temperatures in Bulgaria will be from 7 to 12°C. In Sofia, it will be around 10°C. During the day, the cloudiness over the..

published on 4/17/25 7:25 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

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