The traditional Epiphany water blessing of the battle flags, flags, and sacred banners of the Bulgarian army was served in front of the Unknown Soldier monument in Sofia.
President Rumen Radev received the honorary guard of the representative units of the Bulgarian army. Wreaths and flowers were laid in front of the Unknown Soldier monument.
The ceremony was also attended by the Speaker of Parliament Raya Nazaryan, Vice President Iliana Yotova, the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev, the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, the outgoing Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov, the outgoing Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov, the chairman of the parliamentary defense committee Hristo Gadjev, the Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov, and members of parliament.
The Epiphany water blessing was served by the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniel, in co-celebration with priests from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
The sacred banners of the 13th Infantry Rila Regiment, the 15th Infantry Lom Regiment, the 23rd Infantry Shipchenski Regiment, the 30th Infantry Sheynovski Regiment, the Sixth Infantry Tarnovo Regiment, the 24th Infantry Black Sea Regiment, the 25th Infantry Dragomanski Regiment and the standard of the First Cavalry Regiment, as well as the battle flags of the National Guard Unit, the Military Academy "G. S. Rakovski", the military formations 44 510 - Sofia, 22 320 - Bozhurishte, 28 860 - Gorna Malina, 24 900 - Vrazhdebna, and the representative flags of the types of armed forces, participated in the ritual.
On January 6, according to tradition, the battle flags, flags, and sacred banners of the Bulgarian army are blessed. For the first time in Bulgarian history, at the initiative of Tsar Simeon I, a water blessing of the Bulgarian battle flags was served before the Battle of the Achelous River (August 20, 917). Before the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule in 1396, a water blessing was performed before every battle fought by the Bulgarian army. The tradition was restored in 1880 after the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule (1878) by the first Minister of War of the Principality of Bulgaria, Pyotr Parensov. Then, the consecration of the battle flags of the Bulgarian army was performed for the first time on the church holiday of Epiphany. The ritual was performed until 1946, after which it was interrupted and was restored in 1993. Since then, in all garrisons in the country, the highest hierarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the diocese, after reading the prayer "For the success of the people", sprinkles with holy water for health and success representative units of the Bulgarian army and its battle flags, it is indicated in information from the "Reference" department of BTA.
On this day, Yordan, Yordanka, Dancho, Boyan, Bogdan, Bogdana, Bogolyub, Bogolyuba, Bozhan, Bozhana, Dana, and others celebrate.