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

Orthodox Christians honor the memory of deceased relatives

Photo: BTA

On Saturday before Mesni Zagovezni or Meat Shrovetide Orthodox Bulgarians commemorate the dead. It is one of the three All Souls' Day that Orthodox Christians mark each year.

The very name "Zadushnitsa" means a day for commemorating the souls of the departed and it is always on a Saturday designated by the church to honor the dead.

After the commemoration, relatives of the deceased make gifts with the words: "May God forgive." The bell tolls mournfully, with a measured stroke. On the day before, the relatives of the deceased visit the grave, clean it, then pour wine over it and burn incense. The next day, during the liturgy, the Gospel reading recalls the picture of the Last Judgment.



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

Theodora Dimova

Talking about the communist past is more and more imperative if we want to protect our children

Bulgaria is still the only European country without a memorial to the victims of totalitarian regimes. Attention was once again called to this shameful fact, like a long untreated ulcer on the body of our society, on 1 June, when hundreds of people..

updated on 6/20/24 2:12 PM

Thracian treasures on display at J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles

Almost 100 exhibits from the Museum of History Iskra in Kazanlak will be put on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the US until the end of the year, Kazanlak municipality has announced on Facebook. The exposition in the US..

published on 6/20/24 11:04 AM
Dr Mustafa Haji, Grand Mufti of Bulgaria.

Eid is a time for compassion

People of the Muslim faith in Bulgaria are celebrating Eid. 'Kurban', an Arabic word meaning 'approaching', signifies the efforts of Muslims to approach the mercy of Allah through animal sacrifice," said Dr Mustafa Haji, Grand Mufti of Bulgaria, in his..

published on 6/16/24 7:35 AM