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Christians in Bulgaria mark Feast of Holy Forty Martyrs

Photo: Radio Vidin

Today is the Feast of Saints Forty Martyrs. They were a group of soldiers in a Roman garrison in the city of Sebaste in Lesser Armenia, who after brutal torture died as martyrs for their Christian faith during the time of the persecutions of Licinius, in the 4th century.

In the Bulgarian calendar, the day is also linked to the victory of Tsar Ivan Assen II over the Theodoros Komnenos, which took place on March 9, 1230. After the victory the Bulgarian ruler built the famous Sts. Forty Martyrs Church in the capital city of Tarnovo.

In folk traditions the day is linked to beliefs and rituals over the end of winter and people say that as the weather is getting warmer all bugs, snakes and lizards are coming out of their holes.




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