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 Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is insisting that equipment from the Belene nuclear power plant not be sold to Ukraine. The left-wing parliamentary group has submitted a draft resolution to the National Assembly demanding that negotiations between..
Two men with criminal records and previous sentences from Razgrad and Rouse have been detained with illegal firearms and drugs after a large-scale police operation, public service TV BNT reports. Property connected with them in Varna, Rouse and..
Ambulances and emergency rooms in this country do not have express diagnostics devices as yet, Desislava Katelieva, chair of the National Association of Emergency Medical Care Professionals said for the BNR, and added that if there were options for..
Ivan Ivanov, chairman of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, announced that a decision would be taken today on how to compensate green energy..
During the next 24 hours, cumulus clouds will develop again over the western half of the country. At night, there will be short-term..
At the European Council, Bulgaria will insist on including a text on the Republic of North Macedonia in the adoption of the conclusions of the meeting ,..
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