The day is devoted to the bookmen, the enligheteners, the fighters for national liberation who have preserved through the centuries the spiritual values of the nation and its moral
The most popular Bulgarian intellectual leaders are John of Rila, Constantine of Kostenets, Gregory Tsamblak, Vladislav the Grammarian, Petar Parchevich, Petar Bogdan, Paissius of Hilendar, Neofit Bozveli, Neofit Rilski, Miladinov Brothers, Georgi Sava Rakovski, Vasil Levski, Hristo Botev, Stefan Karadzha, Hadzhi Dimitar, Lyuben Karavelov, Dobri Chintulov, Ivan Vazov, Grigor Parlichev and many others.
Every year on 1st November Bulgaria fetes the Day of the National Revival Leaders. It is an official holiday in the Republic of Bulgaria.
After Bulgaria was liberated from the Ottoman Empire (3 March 1878), there was a need to mark the Bulgarian intellectuals’ contribution to the cultural development of the ordinary people.
Many citizens and people from the countryside wanted to pay honours to these people by naming many streets, schools, libraries and cultural clubs after them. That was the reason why Stoyan Omarchevski, Minister of Education, Youth and Science of the 40th Ministry of Bulgaria (Stefan Stambolov 1920-1923), proposed that this day be devoted to the Leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival.
The day is marked for the first time in Plovdiv in 1909. On 1st November 1923 king Boris III proclaims the day a national celebration one but in 1945 the celebtration is banned. The marking of the day of Bulgaria’s enlighteners is restored in 1992. |
