On Holy Thursday, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrated the consecration of Holy Chrism (myron) for the ninth time in its modern history. The ceremony took place at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia and was presided over by His Holiness Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria, Metropolitan of Sofia, alongside members of the Holy Synod.

Preparations began on the Third Sunday of Great Lent (March 23), when the Patriarch blessed the ingredients for the chrism. The sacred oil was then brewed over the first three days of Holy Week in the cathedral’s narthex. In keeping with ancient tradition, priests took turns stirring the mixture while reading from the Gospels aloud.

On Holy Thursday, the vessels of newly brewed chrism—called concums—were solemnly brought before the altar at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. Following the liturgical service, a procession carried the chrism to the Synod building, where the vessels were placed before the iconostasis of the chapel dedicated to Saint Boris the Baptizer and stored in a special repository.

In his homily, Patriarch Daniel emphasized the spiritual importance of Holy Chrism as a visible sign of the Holy Spirit's presence in the Church. He also highlighted the significance of chrism-making as a mark of the Church’s autocephalous (self-governing) status: "We must be worthy of this sacred gift and always remember that the right to consecrate myron reflects the spiritual maturity and independence of our Church," he stated.

The modern practice of chrism-making in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church began in 1950, following the restoration of its autocephaly. Myron is brewed only once every several years in a designated sacred space and is distributed to every diocese, church, and monastery throughout the national Church. This year marks the ninth such consecration since the tradition was reestablished.