Bulgarian National Holiday Celebrated in Tbilisi

On November 4, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Tbilisi held a celebration of the Day of National Leaders of Bulgaria - 1 November. The festive event was another occasion for the gathering of members of the Bulgarian community in Georgia.

Ambassador Desislava Ivanova welcomed the Bulgarian citizens, their families and their Georgian friends. In her speech, she recalled the history of the unique holiday and its special role in preserving the Bulgarian spirit and, above all, the Bulgarian diaspora.

“The Day of the People's Enlighteners is an all-Bulgarian celebration of the historical memory and of our national self-confidence, preserved for centuries,” the Ambassador said. “Thousands and thousands of well-known and unknown scholars, mentors and enlighteners, fighters for national liberation, have inspired faith in the people's own power.”

She went on to encourage the Bulgarian youth diaspora of the benefit of a mother tongue education.

“The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria and I are happy that in friendly Georgia, the community of the Bulgarians, who came here at different times and under different circumstances, is alive and active: living with the spirit of our Bulgarian ancestors and their aspirations for the rise and prosperity of the Bulgarian nation. Happy holidays!” the Ambassador said.

November 1 is a Bulgarian holiday dedicated to educators and scholars who have built and preserved the spiritual values and cultural identity of Bulgaria.

Among the most revered Bulgarian national leaders are St. Ivan Rilski, Konstantin Kostenechki, Gregory Tsamblak, Yoasaf Bdinski, Vladislav 'Gramatik', Dimitar Kantakuzin, Petar Parchevich, Peter Bogdan, Paisiy Hilendarski, Priest (Popa) Peyo, Neofit Rilski, Ivan Seliminski, the brothers Dimitar and Konstantin Miladinovi, Georgi Sava Rakovski, Vasil Aprilov, Vasil Levski, Hristo Botev, Stefan Karadja, Hadji Dimitar, Lyuben Karavelov, Petko Slaveikov, Nicolas Batsarova, Ivan Vazov, and many others. Most have streets named after them throughout Bulgaria.

The day of National Leaders was first celebrated in Plovdiv in 1909. In 1923, King Boris III declared November 1 a national holiday in memory of all deserving Bulgarians. In 1945 the celebration was prohibited and re-instated in October 1992, when it was officially declared the 'Day of National Leaders'.

By Katie Ruth Davies