Bulgaria celebrated 114 years since the country’s declaration of independence.
The center of the celebrations was the ancient Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo, where in 1908 Prince Ferdinand, together with Alexander Malinov’s government ministers, read the Independence Manifesto.
President Rumen Radev did not show up for the celebrations. He congratulated a Facebook post on the 114th anniversary of Bulgaria’s declaration of independence.
“114 years ago, our ancestors rejected any claim that Bulgaria could be subject to anyone. May our national development, public life and culture be hostage to someone else’s will “writes the head of state.
Note that the act of independence was the inevitable result of the awareness of our national dignity and the audacity of this example will continue to inspire our future.
“The great lesson of 1908 is that the only legitimate exponent of the popular will can and must be the Bulgarian state. It is our duty to remember that independence is not a one-off act and each generation must defend it from external and internal invasions.”it is also stated in the publication of President Rumen Radev.
Vice President Iliana Yotova went to Veliko Tarnovo instead. Independence belongs only to a strong state with strong institutions and enlightened and courageous statesmen, he said.
“Today we need rulers who have the self-confidence of Bulgarian statesmen, not subject to modern vassalage. The future is in enlightened politicians, for whom Bulgaria’s interest is most important.”the vice president said.
He recalled that the greatest strength of our ancestors was to put aside political passions and differences in the name of one goal: Bulgaria.
“Let us forget the hatred and division that devour us like poison. Let us not allow personal prejudices and conflicts to threaten our national energy.”Iliana Yotova urged.
“We need rulers who defend Bulgaria’s rightful place in Europe. More than ever, Europe needs a strong union of strong countries and courageous leaders who are not afraid of tough decisions.”the vice president said.
The day in Veliko Tarnovo began with the holy liturgy, which was celebrated by Metropolitan Gregory of Veliko Tarnovo in the “Santi 40 martiri” church, where Prince Ferdinand read the Manifesto of Independence.
According to tradition, after the end of the service, the Bishop performed the blessing of the water and the sprinkling of the battle flag of the National Military University (NMU) “Vasil Levski” and the flags of state and municipal institutions, educational institutions and non-governmental organizations.
The national flag was hoisted at the Tsarevets fortress in a military ritual.
Guests and residents of Veliko Tarnovo placed wreaths and flowers at the Pyramid of Independence, the place where the manifesto was read for the second time to the citizens of Veliko Tarnovo on September 22, 1908.
The solemn procession was attended by more than 500 students from the schools of Veliko Tarnovo, guests and citizens, as well as the participants in the 15th edition of the Military Band Festival. A flower garland was presented in front of the “Mother Bulgaria” monument as a sign of adoration.
During the holiday a national round table was held on the theme “Veliko Tarnovo – historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria – legal status and prospects”. Also involved was Simeon of Saxe-Coburg, grandson of King Ferdinand. It is important to remember that we are an independent nation and that we must be united, he said. “We are in the European Union and we must respect the rules of this interesting and solid club, but at the same time pursue the interests of Bulgaria in this context.“, Saxon-Gothic added.
In the evening, the ceremonial dawn was held: the representative societies were inspected. Prime Minister Galab Donev gave a welcome speech on the occasion of the holiday and concluded with the audiovisual performance “Tsarevgrad Tarnov – Sound and light”.
Independence Day celebrations took place in all of the country’s regional cities.
The history of Bulgaria’s declaration of independence
On 22 September 1908, the independence of Bulgaria was announced in the “S. Forty Martyrs” church in Veliko Tarnovo with the Manifesto of Prince Ferdinand and the prince was proclaimed king of the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
The political act was carried out by the government of Alexander Malinov. He rejected Bulgaria’s vassal dependence on the Ottoman Empire, imposed on it by the 1878 Treaty of Berlin.
The conditions for declaring the independence of the young Bulgarian state at the beginning of the 20th century were extremely favorable. In the summer of 1908, the Young Turks revolution in the Ottoman Empire ended successfully for the reformists. Austria-Hungary – one of the great powers that imposed the Berlin Treaty, was preparing to violate it by annexing two of the empire’s provinces: Bosnia and Herzegovina.
That is why the Bulgarian prince Ferdinand approached the Emperor Franz Joseph directly to coordinate their actions.
Austria-Hungary announces the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 20 September. Two days later, in the “Santi 40 martiri” church, Prince Ferdinand read the manifesto for the declaration of independence and prayed for the prosperity of the Bulgarian state.
The independent Kingdom of Bulgaria was recognized by the Great Powers in the spring of 1909. From the liberation of Bulgaria until the declaration of its independence, it was a tributary principality of the Ottoman Empire.
With this act, in practice, the last vassal ties with the Ottoman Empire were rejected. The Principality of Bulgaria became an independent state led by the crowned king Ferdinand.
Independence Day only became an official holiday in 1998.
September 22 was declared a public holiday by decision of the National Assembly only on September 10, 1998, during the government of the United Democratic Forces led by Ivan Kostov.
For a long time, the significance of this event in recent history was not appreciated, but on this date in 1908, Bulgaria, one of the oldest countries in Europe, reappeared on the world map after five centuries of Ottoman rule.
Today, there are more and more rumors that this day should be declared a national holiday of Bulgaria, and not the date of March 3, which in 1878 ended the Russo-Turkish war, which was liberating for our country.
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