Faith, Hope, Love and Sophia
Every year on 17 September, the Church honours the holy martyrs Faith, Hope and Love and their mother, Sophia. The sisters’ names represent the three Christian virtues of faith, hope and love, while their mother’s name means wisdom.
According to tradition, the family lived in Rome in the second century. During the reign of Emperor Hadrian, the three girls, aged 12, 10 and 9, refused to renounce their faith and were martyred. Sophia buried her daughters and died at their grave three days later.
Sofia’s City Celebration
17 September is also the celebration of the city of Sofia. It was established by a decision of Sofia Municipal Council in 1992, giving the date a civic significance in the Bulgarian capital alongside its religious observance.
The city marks the occasion with a solemn liturgy, concerts and festive events. The municipality also presents honorary awards as part of the celebrations.
Name Day and Working-Day Status
This is one of Bulgaria’s most widely celebrated name days, an occasion for people with names associated with the saints. Those celebrating include Vyara, Nadezhda, Nadya, Lyubov, Lyuba, Lyubomir, Lyuben, Lyubka, Sofia, Sofka and Sofi, as well as people with related names.
Despite its religious significance, widespread name-day observance and role as Sofia’s city celebration, Faith, Hope, Love and Sophia is not a public holiday or a day off: it is a normal working day in Bulgaria.