On July 20, Orthodox Christians mark the day of St. Elijah. Bulgarians call this holiday Ilinden and in folklore traditions St. Elijah is seen as a saints who is master of hail, thunder, and lightning.
In folk tales the saint has a chariot of fire and as he rides in it he chases a dragon (“lamya”) that feeds on the wheat in the fields. Perhaps, this notion is connected with the miracle of his departure from the earthly world as it is said that St. Elijah was taken in a chariot of fire and brought alive to heaven.
A beautiful song from the repertoire of Daniel Spasov and Milen Ivanov tells about the supernatural powers of "Old Saint Elijah".
Editor: Albena Bezovska
The International Scientific Forum "Cultural Bridges: the Stories of Remarkable Bulgarians in Serbia" took place at the end of June in the town of Tsaribrod in Serbia. It was organised with the financial support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and..
On All Saints' Day, when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the Synaxis of All-Praiseworthy Twelve Apostles of Christ and the memory of all known and unknown martyrs and confessors of Christ, the laity in Bulgaria were rewarded for their faith...
The fate of the Saints Peter and Paul church in Sofia has had its ups and downs, it has been through all kinds of uncertainties. It is perhaps one of the lesser known churches in the capital city, but it is also the only one named after the apostles –..
The International Scientific Forum "Cultural Bridges: the Stories of Remarkable Bulgarians in Serbia" took place at the end of June in the town of..
On All Saints' Day, when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church marks the Synaxis of All-Praiseworthy Twelve Apostles of Christ and the memory of all known..
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Mostly Cloudy
sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder