3 MARCH — DAY OF PRIDE AND COMMEMORATION

On this day (19 February according to the Julian calendar) Bulgaria and Bulgarians in various parts of the world celebrate their national holiday — the liberation from the Ottoman rule. Bulgaria, one of the oldest states in Europe, a country that during the centuries contributed the most to the cultural and political development of the Slavic people in Southeastern Europe and the cradle of the two Slavic alphabets, disappeared from the historical map in 1396 when it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks .

For nearly 5 centuries the Bulgarian people lived in isolation and oppression. Nevertheless, it survived and succeeded in conserving its spiritual and cultural achievements from the past through the centuries. What's more – it successfully developed them further, created new ones and conserved its national consciousness among the other peoples within the boundaries of the Ottoman Empire.

After a centuries-long fight for rights and for religious and political independence, after revolutionary movements and insurrections, after thousands of victims that fell in the name of the Bulgarian national spirit, on the 3rd of March 1878 the Bulgarian people achieved the freedom it dreamed of. On this day a peace treaty was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in San Stefano, a suburb of the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. This peace treaty put an end to the Russian-Turkish war which may rightfully be called a liberation war. It was a war caused by the brutal suppression of the April Insurrection in 1876, whose outcome resounded strongly in Europe and America and forced the Great Powers to acknowledge the Bulgarians' right to have their own state once more.

Despite being preliminary and temporary, despite being revised to the detriment of our national ideals, the San Stefano peace treaty was the first step towards the resurrection of a new Bulgaria. Through it a dream came true, a dream of 500 years. It gave a meaning to the sacrifice of those worthy Bulgarians who gave their lives for the freedom of the homeland. After this treaty Bulgaria appeared on the map of Europe for the third time and deservingly took its destined place ordained by history.

The third of March is a celebration of adamant will power, faith, spirit, sacrifice and fighting for freedom and for the right of national self-determination and independence.

Happy holiday, Bulgarians! Remember and follow your forefathers' legacy!