Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Water blessing ceremony in Bulgarian churches on the day before Epiphany

Photo: BGNES

Before the feast of the Epiphany on January 5, a great water blessing ceremony is served in Bulgarian churches. This liturgy is performed only twice a yea - on the feast of the Epiphany and on the day before known as "Voditsi". This tradition dates back to the 5th century. The consecrated water is considered to be especially graceful and healing, and the believers take it home.

In different parts of Bulgaria the day before Epiphany is called Popova Christmas, Winter Krastovden (Feast of the Cross), Krastsi, Vodokrashti or Voditsiy. This holiday closes the cycle of the so-called "dirty days" starting at Christmas. "Dirty" or "unbaptized" are those days in which the newborn Jesus had not yet received the Holy Baptism.
For the feast of Voditsi, the church has established a day of strict fasting.



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.

More from category

The National Transplant Games begin in Blagoevgrad

The National Transplant Games "Yes! For Life!" will be held on May 18 and 19 at the Southwest University "Neofit Rilski" in Blagoevgrad. The sports festival is organised on the initiative of the Executive Agency "Medical Supervision". The event will be..

published on 5/18/24 7:25 AM

The Bulgarian Orthodox Chuch marks Thomas Sunday

The Bright Week for Orthodox Christians ends with the feast of Thomas Sunday. On this day, the Church commemorates the Apostle Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of Christ, called Doubting Thomas because he doubted the Resurrection.  When the rumor..

published on 5/12/24 1:28 PM

Exhibition presents the cult of the sun-god and the great mother goddess in the Bulgarian lands

The visiting exhibition of the Regional Museum of History in Vratsa “Gods, symbols and ancient signs” opens at 11 AM on 11 May at the National Anthropological Museum under the auspices of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Experimental..

published on 5/11/24 6:05 AM