Christmas service held in Bulgarian church in border city

EDİRNE

With Christmas around the corner, Christians in Turkey have already got into the holiday spirit, decorating trees, setting the festive mood with colorful lights and holding religious ceremonies in churches to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Although there are still days to Dec. 25, some Christians have already started holding religious ceremonies, just like the one held in a Bulgarian church in the northwestern province of Edirne, marking the beginning of celebrations.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, a Christmas service was held at the Sveti Georgi Bulgarian Church in the city bordering Bulgaria and inhabited by a small number of Christians.

The passages were read from the Bible and chants were sung during the ritual while some visitors made wishes for Christmas and New Year by lighting candles inside the church.

Speaking at the ceremony, Bulgarian Consul-General to Edirne Borislav Dimitrov noted that Christmas was the most sacred and beautiful holiday for them, and therefore, he wished all the best for humanity.

Aleksandır Çıkırık, the priest of the church, also stated that messages of friendship were given to the Turkish, Greek and Bulgarian participants during the ritual.