site.btaOrthodox Christians in Bulgaria Observe Good Friday

Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria observe Good Friday. On this day, the Orthodox Church commemorates the death of Christ on the Cross. Good Friday is the day of strictest fasting. By abstaining from water and food, believers express their compassion for Christ's suffering. 

In churches across the country, believers gather for morning services where twelve excerpts from the Gospel recounting Christ's sufferings are read.

The rituals in the temples are dedicated to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. 

At Orthodox Christian churches in Bulgaria, a replica of the Holy Shroud, in which his body was wrapped after being taken down from the cross, is taken out as a symbol of Jesus Christ’s divine presence on earth.

Before the service begins, Christ's "tomb" is erected in the middle of the church, decorated with flowers, and the shroud is placed on the throne - a piece of cloth on which the image of the Saviour laid in the tomb is embroidered. Nowadays the shroud is usually placed on a table and Orthodox Christians pass under it and pray for health and divine favour.
For church ritual, this action has the value of bowing before the tomb of the Lord, and for folk tradition this is the hope of health.

The evening service focuses on Christ's death.