Learn all about Unification Day
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
| Hello, and welcome to the Culture Class- Holidays in Bulgaria Series at BulgarianPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Bulgarian holidays and observances. I’m Eric, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 6- Unification Day. |
| Besides the Liberation, Bulgarians also celebrate two other important holidays connected with historic events related to the liberty, integrity, and independence of the Bulgarian people. One of them is “Unification Day,” or in Bulgarian Denyat na Saedinenieto na Balgariya. It is celebrated on September 6. |
| In this lesson, you’ll learn what events took place on September 6, and why it is considered an important day in the history of Bulgaria. |
| Now, before we get into more detail, I've got a question for you- |
| Which parts of “modern-day,” or savremenna, Bulgaria made up the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia? |
| If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later, so keep listening! |
| The unification of Bulgaria was an act necessary for the integrity of the Bulgarian state. The 1878 Treaty of Berlin enacted the “separation,” or razdelenie, of Bulgaria and the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. In doing this, the treaty actually “tore”, or razkasva, the national integrity of the Bulgarian people. The Bulgarians didn’t accept this separation and started acting to annex Eastern Rumelia, which, in accordance with the treaty, was an autonomous province under the authority of the Ottoman Empire. |
| The unification of Bulgaria was conducted by the Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee (BSCRC). Certain cities in Eastern Rumelia rose in revolt and this led to a military “coup d’état,” or voenen prevrat, on September 6, 1885. This coup received support from Prince Alexander I—the first Bulgarian “prince,” or in Bulgarian knyaz, after the Liberation of Bulgaria. So the unification was realized on this date, but received international recognition months later. |
| Today it’s celebrated with various events in the capital and in Plovdiv—a chief city in the historic events around the Unification—as well as in other cities such as Varna, Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo, Kyustendil, Sliven, Vidin, and so on. In Sofia, in front of the ossuary mausoleum of Prince Alexander I Battenberg on Vasil Levski Boulevard, speeches are delivered “on the occasion of,” or in Bulgarian no sluchay na, the holiday. As with the celebration of the Liberation, on this day a solemn changing of the sentry of honor in front of the President takes place. |
| On September 6, the rule of Eastern Rumelia by Prince Alexander I was only “formally,” or formalno, settled. It was years later, when the independence of Bulgaria was “recognized,” or se priznava, that the unification acquired real strength. |
| Now it's time to answer our quiz question- |
| Which parts of modern-day Bulgaria made up the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia? |
| Although the name Eastern Rumelia creates the impression that this is the eastern part of Bulgaria, in fact Eastern Rumelia is part of modern-day Southern Bulgaria, “stretching.” or prostirashta se, between the Balkan Mountains and the Rhodope Mountains. |
| How was this lesson? Did you learn something interesting? |
| Is there an event in the history of your country that has a similar significance? |
| Leave a comment letting us know at BulgarianPod101.com, |
| and we'll see you in the next lesson! |
Comments
Hide