THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE MET THE SUNRISE ON THE FIRST DAY OF JULY

Thousands of people gathered at Kamen Bryag village on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast to meet the first sun rays on the 1st day of July.

The sunrise was met with the ‘July Morning’ song, performed by John Lawton, the frontman of Uriah Heep and the Bulgarian rock band B.T.R. The ‘July Morning’ event was broadcast live on BNT from Kamen Bryag, the traditional location for the meeting of the sun celebration.

The tradition is named after the British rock band Uriah Heep’s 1971 hit 'July Morning' and has become the anthem of the celbrations.

The ‘July Morning’ tradition dates back to the hippie period in the 1970s and 1980s and originated as a protest against the restrictions of the communist regime. The meeting of the sunrise was a symbol of meeting a new beginning and a better future. Nowadays this meaning is lost, but the sun worship as a symbol of a new beginning in life motivates young people to keep the tradition live.