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Preparations for Orthodox Easter are underway at the Bachkovo Monastery in southern Bulgaria, the second largest and one of the oldest in the country.
Easter is the most important holiday in the Orthodox calendar and the biggest celebration for Christian Orthodox Bulgarians.
In the monastery’s kitchen, 5,050 eggs are being dyed red, a colour symbolising the blood of Christ. Donated by local producers, the eggs will be given to pilgrims on Easter Sunday.
On Holy Thursday, families across Bulgaria also dye eggs. The oldest woman traditionally colours the first egg and draws a cross on the forehead of the youngest child to wish them health. Once blessed at church, eggs are used in playful contests at home, with the uncracked egg said to bring a year of good fortune.
