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
The Boyana Church will be an attractive center for the delegates of the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee , who will gather in Sofia in July this year. The Church of St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon is one of the..
The Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna has marked 144 years since its founding. A period in which the educational institution has followed the trends for highly specialized training of specialists in various professional fields..
Quiet among the Lyulin Mountain slopes, the Klisura Monastery of St. Petka is marked by mystery and radiates spirituality. It is located only 7 km from the resort town of Bankya, near the village of Klisura. Winter is the time when the holy monastery..
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