In Bulgaria, as in many cultures where Catholocism or Orthodoxy is heavily influential, there are days assigned to different saints. We usually call them name days, as most of the population of these countries is named after different saints. Name days are a chance to celebrate, kind of like birthdays. Often at night you can hear fireworks going off somewhere in the city, especially if it's the name day for popular names, like Ivan. Blagovestenie is also a name day. I realized that one of the pastors at my church must have his name day today, since his name is Blagovest. How cool to be a pastor named good news?!
My Bulgarian teacher has a huge job. Not only does she teach me how to read, write, speak, and listen to Bulgarian, but she also teaches me culturally important things, like how to be polite and holidays. Today, she taught me that it was Blagoveshtenie (Благоеещение), or as we know it in English: Annunciation. As she was explaining it to me, she told me what the word blagoveshtenie means--good news. Boyana explained the holiday by telling me that it is the day we celebrate Gabriel bringing good news to Mary--that she would be the mother of the Messiah, Jesus.
In Bulgaria, as in many cultures where Catholocism or Orthodoxy is heavily influential, there are days assigned to different saints. We usually call them name days, as most of the population of these countries is named after different saints. Name days are a chance to celebrate, kind of like birthdays. Often at night you can hear fireworks going off somewhere in the city, especially if it's the name day for popular names, like Ivan. Blagovestenie is also a name day. I realized that one of the pastors at my church must have his name day today, since his name is Blagovest. How cool to be a pastor named good news?!
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Elisabeth CarySharing the love of Christ to make known the hope of Christ in Bulgaria. Archives
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