Bulgaria Performs Consecrating of National Colors

The consecrating of Bulgaria's military flags took place in the presence of Bulgaria's President and Commander-in-Chief, Georgi Parvanov (c), the Speaker of the Parliament, Tstetska Tsacheva (l) and Defense Minister, Anyu Angelov (r). Photo by BGNES

A solemn ceremony of consecrating Bulgaria's colors brought together Wednesday statesmen, defense and municipal officials and MPs on Alexander Nevsky square in Sofia.

Bulgaria's Patriarch Maxim served the solemn Epiphany Mass at the St. Sofia church while the consecrating of Bulgaria's military flags and sacred flags and the blessing of the waters was performed in front of the Alexander Nevsky cathedral.

The ceremony was attended by the Speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva, Defense Minister, Anyu Angelov, and other high-ranking officers, and politicians.

Bulgaria's President and Commander-in-Chief, Georgi Parvanov, received the National Guard of Honor and later laid a wreath at the Unknown Soldier Monument. The ceremony concluded with a performance of the national anthem and the march of the National Guard.

The religious-military ritual is believed to bring health and success to the whole nation and was first performed for Bulgaria's warriors in 917 AD during the reign of Simeon I. The ritual continued to be held before each major battle until Bulgaria lost its independence and became part of the Ottoman Empire. After the Liberation in 1878, the tradition was reinstated by the first Defense Minister of the Principality of Bulgaria, General Parensov, and was kept alive until 1946 when it was banned by the communist regime. The ritual was brought back in 1993 and since then each year on January 6 it is performed in all Bulgarian garrisons.

On January 6, in Eastern Orthodox churches the emphasis is on the shining forth and revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Second Person of the Trinity at the time of his baptism. It is also celebrated because, according to tradition, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist marked one of only two occasions when all three Persons of the Trinity manifested themselves simultaneously to humanity.

On St. Jordan's Day (Epiphany), the Orthodox Churches perform the Great Blessing of Waters. The blessing is normally done on the day of the feast, outdoors at a body of water. Following the Divine Liturgy, the clergy and people go in a procession with the cross to the nearest body of water. At the end of the ceremony the priest will bless the waters by casting a cross into them. If swimming is feasible on the spot, any number of volunteers may brave the cold winter and try to recover the cross. The person who gets the cross first swims back and returns it to the priest, who then delivers a special blessing to the swimmer and their household.

In Sofia, the traditional release of the cross was held at the lake in the Sofia "Druzhba" district.

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