Today, on Pentecost (the day of Holy Spirit)– the patron day of the town of Montana, northwest Bulgaria, a new Christian temple was unveiled with the name of “Sveti Duh” (Holy Spirit). It took the local municipality 12 years to build the church, but is one of the largest ones in Bulgaria, offering space for 600 believers.  Photo: BTA

The King Boris Garden in Sofia is the venue of the third edition of the festival of Asian culture “The Magic of the East”. Theater performances, music and dance shows, demonstrations of martial arts as well as culinary demonstrations are taking place at the open air stage and the areas around it in the park. The cultural event was organized by the Embassy of Indonesia to Bulgaria, and put through jointly with representations of Bangladesh, Vietnam, Kuwait, India, Iraq, Iran, China, Pakistan, Palestine, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan.  Photos: BGNES

The citizens of Sofia and their pets make the best of the hot summer days for outdoor activities and recreation!  Photo: BGNES

For the first time in this country an art troop from Southwest India is guest performing in Bulgaria. It presents the oldest classical Indian theater style Kathakali. Their tour started from the National Palace of Culture, within the frame of marking International Yoga Day – June 16, and will continue with free shows in Plovdiv (European Capital of Culture 2019) on June 18 and 19, Pernik – June 20.  The artists will then visit North Macedonia for a performance in Skopje on June 22.The traditional dance style Kathakali emerged in the 17^th century in Kerala. The subjects of the compositions are usually taken from the ancient Indian epos of Mahabharata and Ramayana, telling of the fight between good and evil in man.  Photo: BTA