Bulgaria marks National Liberation Day (video)

On 3rd of March, Bulgaria celebrates its national liberation from almost 500 years of Ottoman rule. On this date in 1878, the Peace Treaty of San Stefano (a small town near Istanbul) was signed, which put an end to the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878 and marked the re-establishment of Bulgaria as a sovereign state.

3rd of March was honoured for the first time in 1880, on the occasion of the Enthronement of Russian Emperor Alexander the Second. Since 1888, it has become Bulgaria’s Day of Liberation, but it was not declared a National Holiday until 1978.

With a Parliamentary Decree from 1990, 3rd of March was included in the list of Bulgaria’s official holidays.

As part of the tradition, every year, solemn ceremonies along with cultural shows and street parades are held throughout the country, particularly in cities and towns, where key battles took place in the Russo-Turkish War. During the ceremonies, a list of names is read out in remembrance of those who gave their lives in the fight for independence, followed by firework displays.

The government holds the ceremonial hoisting of the Bulgarian flag in monuments across the country and in particular, at the Unknown Soldier Monument in Sofia. Wreaths and flowers are laid at monuments that symbolise the liberation.

BNT will air live the solemn ceremony and the firework display in Sofia.

This year, the official ritual on the historic Shipka peak commemorating 142 years since the liberation of Bulgaria is being cancelled on the recommendation of the national task force for countering the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The monument remains open to the public who wish to pay their respects.

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