Today is Cherry All Souls’ Day. The day when we honor our deceased relatives and pray for the souls of the departed always falls on Saturday. A common mass for the dead is served in all Orthodox temples. Later, wheat, bread and the first cherries are given away as offering - hence the name of the ritual.
In our folklore calendar, Cherry All Souls’ Day is also called Spasovska Zadushnitsa, because it is marked after the Holy Ascension (Spasovden). Cherry All Souls’ Day is the second All Souls’ Day of the year after Meatfare Saturday. The next one is Archangelovden (the Day of Saint Michael the Archangel). Each ear Cherry All Souls’ Day falls on the Saturday before the Pentecost (which is marked 50 days after Easter), at the end of May or the beginning of June. The All Souls’ Day before Pentecost is known in Bulgaria as the Cherry All Souls’ Day, because cherries are the most popular fruit of the season, present on the table at all feasts. It is also a day of charity, as the food left after the shared meal is given to the needy.
Compiled by: Gergana Mancheva
English version: Kostadin Atanasov
On the eve of St Athanasius' Day, one of the churches on the outskirts of Sofia is already preparing to welcome His Holiness the Metropolitan of Sofia and Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil , who this year will celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the church in the..
Atanasovden, also known as Midwinter in our folk calendar, is a holiday on which the Orthodox Church and our folklore pay tribute to St. Athanasius the Great – Archbishop of Alexandria and a fighter against Arianism (church heresy which rejects the..
The only chapel in the country to bear the names of Saints Anthony and Atha nasius is in Sandanski, and its consecration will be performed by His Eminence Metropolitan Seraphim of Nevrokop, reports Andon Kotev - one of the initiators of the idea to..
In 2024, the National History Museum sent expeditions to 22 archaeological sites. More than 1,400 artifacts were found during the season spanning the..
It is 131 years since the birth of Tsar Boris III, dubbed unifier. Boris Saxe-Coburg-Gotha found himself at the head of Bulgaria after the abdication of..
From 31 January 2025, the first podcast about Bulgarian Orthodox communities abroad - Bridge of Faith - will be launched. The concept is the brainchild of..
Mostly Cloudy
Cloudy
Partly Cloudy