Dear friends, welcome to Bulgaria Today on December 27!  

We have some festive programming for you on our podcast today as we are still in the five-day Christmas break in Bulgaria. 

First, we will bring you an interview with a woman who created a dog shelter in the small town of Veliki Preslav, a daunting task yet a dream come true for Ivanka Dimova.  

Then we go all the way across the ocean to Montreal, Canada for an encounter with Bulgarian visual artist Daniela Zekina and her fantasy world. 

The second part of our programme will be dedicated to the holiday of Stefanovden – Saint Stephen’s Day marked here on December 27th. 

Why does the church dedicated to Saint Stephen in Sofia’s South Park stay unfinished for some 15 years now?  

And then we come to music in the second part of our podcast – Orthodox and folk music dedicated to the feast of Stefanovden. 

Enjoy the Christmas spirit on Radio Bulgaria! 

01’42 – Life: Stray dogs in Bulgaria’s Veliki Preslav have a benefactor  

05’37 – Culture: Daniela Zekina and her visual poetry 

11’09 – The residents of several districts of Sofia pray for the completion of their church 

15’43 – Music slot: Celebrating Saint Stephen’s Day with Bulgarian Orthodox and folk music