Bulgaria celebrates the day of national revival leaders

Every year on November 1st, Bulgaria celebrates the Day of the National Revival Leaders (sometimes called National Enlighteners Day).

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 while the national anthem of Bulgaria is played.

“One needs to have added value of bravery, courage and dedication to be a revival leader,” Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said in a speech to the leaders of cultural institutions and activists in the field of science, education, culture and art, on the occasion of 1^st of November - the Day of the Bulgarian national revival leaders (also called National Enlighteners Day).

The enlighteners are the missionaries of culture, morality and freedom, the head of state said. He reminded that a year ago, on that date, he said that the enlightened is not an intellectual of European model, but a Bulgarian spiritual category.

Prior to the meeting of the head of state with heads of cultural institutions, public figures and scientists in the field of science, education, culture and the arts, the traditional ceremony for hoisting of the national flag was held in front of the building of the Presidency in Sofia. The President and, Bulgaria’s President and Commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian armed forces, Roumen Radev, greeted the guard of honour unit.

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.