Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

On August 6, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates one of its great feasts - the Transfiguration of the Lord. The feast is associated with one of the most important Gospel events – the appearance of Jesus Christ in heavenly glory before three of his disciples - Peter, James and John.

In the gospel accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John, went to a mountain (referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration) to pray. There the three apostles sat down to rest and fell asleep. When they awoke, they saw Jesus shining with bright rays of light, and from a cloud came a voice that said: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him."

On this day, festal liturgies are served in Orthodox churches. According to the traditions, on the Transfiguration of the Lord, the first grapes are picked and, after being blessed with prayer and invited by the priest in the church, are distributed to relatives and neighbours.

The feast of Transfiguration of the Lord is associated with change in nature. According to tradition, this day marks the start of summer’s decline, the weather changes, mornings and evenings become cooler. Storks start gathering in flocks to prepare for flying off to warm countries.