Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Archangel All Soul’s Day is the last day of the year in which believers honour their dead

Photo: BGNES

Every year, on the first Saturday before the Day of Archangel Michael (8 November), Orthodox Christians mark Archangel All Soul’s Day, the last of the three All Soul’s days set down by the Christian Orthodox church. According to the canon, they all fall on a Saturday, a day set aside for our dear departed. After a divine service, a memorial service takes place at which believers pray for the souls of their deceased family members and relatives.

On the Friday before All Soul’s Day, Christians go to the graves of their loved ones where they clean, incense and put flowers on them. Finally, they pour red wine over the grave and light a candle as a symbol of the immortality of the soul. The incense on its part symbolizes pure prayer, the flowers – the virtues of the deceased. On Archangel All Soul’s Day people sit down to a shared meal that has to include seven different dishes (including the ones the deceased loved most). Food is given away on Archangel All Soul’s Day with the words “God rest”. Old people say if you see a fly or a butterfly come near you on this day, it is the soul of the deceased. 



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

September 22, 1908: Bulgaria breaks free from Ottoman rule

On September 22, 1908, Prince Ferdinand I proclaimed Bulgaria’s independence in a manifesto, formally establishing the Third Bulgarian Kingdom. The location was chosen with care: the Church of the Forty Martyrs in the old capital, Veliko Tarnovo,..

published on 9/22/25 6:05 AM
The public has a rare opportunity to see the original Panagyurishte Gold Treasure at the History Museum in Panagyurishte.

Panagyurishte Gold Treasure – the original – is back in Panagyurishte

From 16 September, the History Museum in Panagyurishte will be hosting the original Panagyurishte Gold Treasure. The priceless find will be displayed in the museum’s secure vault hall, where it can be seen until October 23. The treasure will be on..

published on 9/16/25 8:05 AM

It is the Day of the Holy Cross

On September 14, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church bows down before the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified . The Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Lord or Cross Day is one of the 12 great Christian holidays.  It is one of the four days..

published on 9/14/25 6:05 AM