Bulgaria marks 148 years since the death of national hero Vassil Levski

On 18th February, Bulgaria marks the anniversary of the hanging (1873) of Vassil Levski, known as the Apostle of Freedom.

As part of the tradition, people pay tribute to the national hero and lay wreaths and flowers to the monuments dedicated to him all across the country.

A special commemoration ceremony, including military display, fireworks and a speech by the Speaker of Bulgaria’s Parliament, Tsveta Karayancheva, was held in Levski’s birth town of Karlovo.

Vassil Levski is a leading figure in the fight of the Bulgarian people against Ottoman rule in the late 19th century. He was a revolutionary, democrat, ideologist, organizer and leader of the Bulgarian national liberation movement.

He was called the Apostle of Freedom by the Bulgarian people for his self-sacrifice in developing a strategy to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule.

Vassil Levski organised the revolutionary movement across Bulgaria for several years. He established numerous revolutionary committees and started preparing the people for a general uprising. Betrayed by a traitor, he was captured by the Ottoman authorities and was executed by hanging on 18th of February 1873 in the outskirts of Sofia.

***

More and more historians are opting for marking the anniversary of the death of Levski on 18th rather than 19th of February. The confusion was due to a technical error in switching from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. That is why celebrations will take place on both days.