Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniel led the festive evening service - vigil, for Christmas Eve, which began in the Patriarchal Cathedral "St. Alexander Nevsky".
The festive liturgy is in concelebration with bishops, deacons, archimandrites and clergy from the Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate (BPC-BP).
In the center of the temple is placed the festive icon, decorated with flowers, which depicts the Holy Virgin Mary, the righteous Joseph and the infant Jesus Christ.
Upon entering the cathedral, Patriarch Daniel blessed the faithful and bowed before the festive icon.
On this day, Christians prepare spiritually: through fasting, confession and prayer to receive Holy Communion and thus worthily welcome the Nativity of Christ.
From an Orthodox church point of view, there is no significance or other requirement, except that the dishes on the table should be lean, as it is the last day of the Christmas fast.
Traditionally, a prayer is said at the Christmas Eve dinner and the home is incensed with incense, explain from the Bulgarian Patriarchate.
Christmas Eve is one of the brightest Christian holidays, which is celebrated by families of all Christians. The family gathers in anticipation of the birth of the Son of God - Jesus Christ. The holiday of Christmas Eve is dedicated to the home, to the hearth, but also to the deceased ancestors - relatives, who are also considered part of the family.
According to the narratives of the evangelists Matthew and Luke, Christ was born at night - let us remember the star that led the wise men from the east, and the shepherds who kept watch at night with their flock when the angels announced the birth of the Savior: "Today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, Who is Christ the Lord".