Bulgaria celebrates the Day of National Revival Leaders

On November 1, Bulgaria celebrates the Day of the National Revival Leaders.

The day is devoted to enlighteners, bookmen and fighters for national liberation who preserved the spiritual values of the nation over the centuries.

On that day, Bulgarians pay tribute to those involved in teaching, studying culture or scientific work.

The day is marked with hoisting of the national flag in front of the building of the Presidency in Sofia.

Bulgaria’s President and Commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian armed forces, Roumen Radev, greeted the guard of honour unit.

After the ceremony, in the Coat of Arms Hall at the Presidency, the President delivered a greeting on the occasion of the national holiday.

Later, the Head of State will take part in the ceremonial assembly of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Today's celebration coincides with the culmination of the celebrations of two important anniversaries - 300 years since the birth of Paisius of Hilendar and 260 years since the writing of Paisius of Hilendar, the author of the "Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya" (Slav-Bulgarian history) by him. The celebrations are under the patronage of President Rumen Radev.

The Speaker of Parliament, Vezhdi Rashidov, donated books dedicated to the activities of the National Assembly to the "Ivan Vazov" National Library in Plovdiv.

Images by BGNES

***

As of 1st of November 1923, the day of national revival leaders was made an official holiday with a decree of Tsar Boris III (King Boris III) in honour of those visionaries who made a conscious effort to preserve the Bulgarian culture and did so much to establish a sense of national pride and lay the foundation for Bulgarian liberation (from Ottoman Rule).

It was banned in 1945 after Bulgaria came under Communist rule. The celebrations were resumed in 1992. It was then officially declared as the Day of the leaders of Bulgarian national revival and is a day off for all schools in the country.

It honours the most outstanding figures of the Bulgarian National Revival.

The “Bulgarian National Revival” refers to a period of national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule. It began in the late 18th century and lasted until the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878 as a result of the Russo-Turkish war.