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

The UK to introduce electronic travel authorisation for EU citizens as of April 2

From 2 April 2025, the UK will introduce the issuance of an electronic transit and short-term residence permit for citizens of all EU countries , including Bulgaria, for whom a visa for a short stay is currently not required.  The Bulgarian..

published on 1/8/25 9:28 AM

Bulgaria and Ukraine have agreed on their relations in education until 2028

A protocol for cooperation and exchange between the Ministries of Education and Science in Bulgaria and Ukraine for 4 academic years until 2028 was signed in a videoconference mode.  With their signatures, Ministers Galin Tsokov and Oksen..

published on 1/8/25 9:07 AM

Legal Affairs Committee gives green light to amendments aimed at curbing re-election of Sarafov as Prosecutor General

Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee has approved in first reading draft amendments to the Judicial System Act that would end the current procedure for electing a new Prosecutor General.  The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) will not be able to elect..

published on 1/7/25 6:29 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 15
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 16
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 17
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 10
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 17
Partly Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 18
Partly Cloudy
Min: 2 | Max: 16
Partly Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 17
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 16
Partly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 14
Partly Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 18
Partly Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 17
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 13
Partly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 14
Partly Cloudy
Min: 4 | Max: 17
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 12
Partly Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Partly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 16
Partly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 17
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 11
Mostly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 11
Partly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 11
Partly Cloudy
Min: -1 | Max: 13
Partly Cloudy
Min: 5 | Max: 16
Partly Cloudy
Min: 0 | Max: 17
Partly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 16
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 17
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

Bulgaria meets the criteria for Eurozone membership

At the end of 2024, Bulgaria's macroeconomic indicators fully met the Maastricht criteria for Eurozone membership, BGNES informs...

published on 1/7/25 8:45 AM

Flu epidemic in Bulgaria to reach peak in early February

The metapneumovirus is not new and does not lead to severe illnesses. There is already a decrease in morbidity in China and there are no deaths there,..

published on 1/8/25 10:12 AM

The UK to introduce electronic travel authorisation for EU citizens as of April 2

From 2 April 2025, the UK will introduce the issuance of an electronic transit and short-term residence permit for citizens of all EU countries ,..

published on 1/8/25 9:28 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

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