ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Water blessing ceremony of the Bulgarian Army Flags to take place on Epiphany

President Radev at the water blessing ceremony in central Sofia on Epiphany (archive)
Photo: president.bg

On January 6, the feast of Epiphany, the traditional water blessing of the battle flags and holy flags of the Bulgarian Army will be celebrated in all garrisons of the country. The solemn ritual in Sofia will begin at 11:00 in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. 

The water blessing ceremony will be held by His Holiness the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil. 

The ceremony will be attended by the Bulgarian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Rumen Radev, who will accept the honorary formation of the representative units of the Bulgarian Army and lay a wreath in front of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier. Vice President Iliana Iotova, Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov and Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov will also be present.



For the first time, the blessing of the battle flags was performed during the reign of Tsar Simeon I before the Battle of Aheloy in 917. Until the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule, the blessing of the flags was performed before every battle fought by the Bulgarian army. 

After the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule in 1878, the tradition was restored by the first military minister of the Principality of Bulgaria, Pyotr Dmitrievich Parensov, and continued until 1946, the Ministry of Defense indicates. After the fall of Communism in Bulgaria, the ritual was restored in 1993.

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.
Radio Bulgaria News    battle flags Epiphany flags of the Bulgarian army water blessing of the Bulgarian military flags

More from category

President Radev vetoes changes to the Investment Promotion Act

President Rumen Radev has returned for a new discussion in parliament the adopted legal amendments, according to which the sale of assets of Russian company Lukoil in the country will take place after a decision of the Council of..

published on 11/5/25 11:43 AM

Danube Bridge between Ruse and Giurgiu opens for heavy vehicles

Nearly 24 hours after it was closed, Danube Bridge linking Ruse and Giurgiu is now open for trucks, regional governor Dragomir Draganov said. At 9 a.m. on November 5, trucks were allowed to pass through the facility. On November 4,..

published on 11/5/25 10:17 AM

Tobacco producers oppose phasing out of EU subsidies in the sector

The National Association of Tobacco Producers - 2010 opposes the proposal for banning public support for tobacco cultivation in the EU. A letter to the Ministry of Agriculture quotes the position of the largest European agricultural..

published on 11/5/25 9:21 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 14
Rain
Min: 10 | Max: 14
Rain
Min: 9 | Max: 14
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 13
Rain
Min: 9 | Max: 11
Rain
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 11
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 11
Overcast, rain
Min: 8 | Max: 12
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 14
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Rain
Min: 10 | Max: 12
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 11
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Overcast, rain
Min: 10 | Max: 13
Rain
Min: 7 | Max: 11
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 12
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 11
Rain
Min: 9 | Max: 13
Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 8
Cloudy
Min: 8 | Max: 11
Overcast, rain
Min: 8 | Max: 12
Rain
Min: 7 | Max: 12
Overcast, rain
Min: 9 | Max: 12
Rain
Min: 7 | Max: 12
Rain
Min: 9 | Max: 12
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

EC puts forward plan for developing high-speed rail Bucharest-Sofia-Athens

The European Commission has presented a proposal for developing high-speed railway lines within the EU until 2040, linking the capitals in the EU, among..

published on 11/5/25 1:20 PM

European Commission withholds payment under recovery and resilience plan over failure to implement anti-corruption reforms

The European Commission has decided to withhold EUR 215 million from the second payment under Bulgaria’s recovery and resilience plan, the EC told the..

published on 11/5/25 4:39 PM

Chirpan Tunnel on the Plovdiv-Burgas railway line to be ready by the end of 2026

Prokopan is the only railway tunnel on the Plovdiv-Burgas line. This became clear during a visit by Deputy Minister of Transport Lyuben Nanov, who was..

published on 11/4/25 6:34 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"