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

In Bulgaria: Orthodox Church celebrates Palm Sunday, Catholics and Armenians - Easter

Patriarch Neophyte also attended the solemn liturgy at St. Alexander Nevsky Church, April 9, 2023.
Photo: BGNES

Holy Mass was held in the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia on the occasion of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. "May the peace and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all!" wished Patriarch Neophyte, who was present at the service. Palm Sunday is also known as Tsvetnitsa (from tsvete - flower) or Vrabnitsa (from varba - willow tree) in Bulgaria, where palm leaves are replaced with willow branches. Tomorrow begins Holy Week, the week of Christ's passion, crucifixion and resurrection.

Thousands gathered in the central Bulgarian town of Lovech, where there is a traditional crafts fair and a national festival of folk art and customs, BNR correspondent Plamen Hristov reports.

In the southeastern village of General Inzovo over 300 folklore lovers gathered today at the festival "From Palm Sunday to St. George's Day". The festival presents folk songs, dances, rituals and customs observed between the two major holidays, as our correspondent Daniela Kostova informs.

Catholics in Bulgaria celebrate Easter today. The faithful filled the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the town of Rakovski, home to the largest Catholic community in Bulgaria. 

Armenians are also celebrating Easter. In Silistra, however, they will celebrate it a week later in the oldest Armenian temple in Bulgaria, the 1620 St. Mary's Church, when a priest from Ruse will come to celebrate mass. Since the 1960s, the Armenians in Silistra have not had their own clergyman, BNR correspondent Nezabravka Kirova said. 



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

UK includes Bulgarian criminals in the "Deportation Now" scheme

Bulgarian citizens with criminal charges will be deported from the UK without the right to appeal the decision before expulsion . Bulgaria is among 15 countries added to a system called "Deportation Now, Appeal Later", BNR Horizont reported...

published on 8/11/25 6:15 PM

The Holy Trinity church in Madison is hosting its sixth annual Bulgarian festival

The Holy Trinity Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Madison, Illinois, is hosting the Sixth Annual Bulgarian Festival and invites the local Bulgarian community to join in the celebration. The event will take place on Sunday, September 28, from 12:00 p.m. to..

published on 8/11/25 4:33 PM

Consumer basket rises by 51 euro cents over the week

The prices of several essential foods increased last week . Items such as pork, yoghurt, cheese, oil, and certain fruits and vegetables—including tomatoes and cucumbers—became more expensive. As a result, the consumer basket rose by 1 lev (0.51 euro),..

published on 8/11/25 4:09 PM