On the first day of January, the Christian Orthodox church commemorates St. Basil the Great, patron saint of charity and good deeds. A prominent Christian philosopher and thinker, he is the author of many theological works, including a liturgy bearing his name, performed at Sunday service during Lent and on the day of St. Basil.
Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte will take part in a divine liturgy today at the St. Alexander Nevski cathedral in Sofia, after which he will perform a solemn church service for the New Year.
In folklore tradition, there is one enduring ritual performed on the day of St. Basil or Vassilyovden, called Surva, which is still practiced in our day. For this ritual a survachka is used – intertwined cornel twigs, a symbol of health and endurance. The twigs are decorated using woolen threads of different colours, red apples, popcorn, dried fruit etc., and are then used to tap friends, relatives and neighbours on the back with wishes for health, happiness and prosperity. Masquerade games with groups of masked men or kukeri are organized in many parts of Bulgaria for banishing evil.
There are 137,000 Bulgarians who celebrate their name day today – all people called Vassil, Vassilka, Vassilena, Vesselin, Vesselina, Vessela.
The National Assembly removed its chairman Rosen Zhelyazkov from office. His dismissal was proposed by We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, Vazrazhdane and BSP for Bulgaria. 129 MPs voted in favour and 103 MPs voted against. Rosen..
''PP-DB are hypocrites. They are in a new coalition with Vazrazhdane and the Bulgarian Socialist Party. They make things much easier for me because there won't be any questions about the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, We Continue the Change,..
Nearly 400 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) have been registered in the country. We are at the beginning of a nationwide epidemic, Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev said for Nova TV. 70 new cases have been registered on Monday and Tuesday..
In 2021, the value added of the EU’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector was equivalent to 5.5% of the EU’s gross value added: 4.7%..
After 4 years of investigation, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office has submitted to court the indictment against former gambling mogul Vassil Bozhkov,..
MEPs are concerned about Russian interference in the upcoming elections on June 9, and the properties on the territory of Bulgaria currently owned by..
+359 2 9336 661