Google Doodle celebrates Bulgaria Liberation Day 2021

Google Doodle celebrates Bulgaria Liberation Day 2021, a national holiday established on the 100th anniversary of this historic peace agreement, on March 3. The Liberation Day, formally known as the Day of Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Dominion (Ден на Освобождението на България от османско иго) in Bulgaria is celebrated on 3 March.

This holiday is Bulgaria’s national day and honors the Bulgarian volunteers who, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 with the help of Russian and Romanian forces, liberated Bulgaria from very nearly 500 years of Ottoman rule.

Bulgaria celebrates an annual celebration of its liberation from right around 500 years of Ottoman rule on March 3 under the Treaty of San Stefano. The Treaty of San Stefano finished the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 and prepared for the liberation of Bulgaria and indeed builds up itself as a country and effectively set the nation back on the world map.

Bulgarian Liberation Day History

The date of March 3rd denotes the date of the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878.

This peace treaty finished the war and was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, which declared Bulgaria as an independent state, yet a vassal state within the Ottoman Empire.

Bulgaria had become part of the Ottoman Empire in 1396. In the late 19th century, a developing tide of nationalism had been spreading across Europe, which had been undermining the separation of the western parts of the Ottoman Empire.

In April 1876, uprisings in different parts of the Ottoman Empire spread to Bulgaria. The suppression of the rebellions by the Ottomans was awful and when the atrocities were made public to the West and Russia, international condemnation was widespread. On April 24th, 1877, Russia officially pronounced war on the Ottoman Empire.

Bulgaria became a unified state, presently known as the First Bulgarian Empire, around 681 AD. The Second Bulgarian Empire existed from 1185 until 1396 when it at long last capitulated to the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria was then under the Ottoman rule for almost 500 years.

Even so, on 3 March 1878, Bulgaria was at long last liberated from the rule of the Ottoman Empire and had the option to assemble its own leadership, government, and culture. On 3 March 1880, Tzar Alexander II’s nephew, Prince Alexander of Battenberg, was elected as the first ruler of Bulgaria.

How is Bulgarian Liberation Day celebrated?

Liberation Day is celebrated at ceremonies the nation over and particularly in the more modest towns. A large number of these towns were virtually obliterated during the battle for independence and it is a solemn time of recollecting the abuse, battling, and freedom.

Flowers and notes are often left on the Liberation monuments around Bulgaria and numerous likewise celebrate with fireworks.

This holiday is a welcome holiday toward the beginning of spring and is traditionally marked by ceremonies across Bulgaria, especially in those towns and urban communities which saw the fiercest battling in the war.

Shipka Pass in the Balkan Mountains is at the center of celebrations denoting the key fight that occurred there. In Sofia, there will be church services, wreath-laying, and a military march to honor the individuals who gave their lives in the war.

In Sofia, following a Holy Mass at 10 am at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Church, a memorial and thanksgiving service is held out of appreciation for the National Holiday.

The official ceremony of raising the national flag and a solemn ceremony of laying wreaths and flowers at that point happens at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier at 11 am.

The first celebration of this holiday was on February 19, 1880 (old style calendar) as “The Day of the Emperor Alexander II’s Assassination and the Conclusion of the San Stefano Peace Treaty”.

March 3rd became Bulgaria’s Liberation Day in 1888, however, it took until 1978 preceding it acquired its National Day of Bulgaria status and was officially announced as an official holiday by Decree 236 of the State Council, given on February 27, 1990, and by the 9th National Assembly of March 5, 1990.

Baba Marta

Liberation Day falls a few days after March 1st, the traditional beginning of Spring, known as Baba Marta (Grandma March). Baba Marta is believed to be a feisty woman who consistently seems to be upset at her two brothers, January and February, while the sun possibly comes out when she smiles.

During this time numerous Bulgarians celebrate this tradition by wearing a red and white decoration called a Martenitza. Baba Marta is like Martisor, a traditional holiday celebrated in Romania and Moldova.

Precisely 143 years prior, the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano set up Bulgaria as an independent state.

Google Doodle on Bulgaria Liberation Day 2021

On March 3, 2021, Google celebrates Bulgaria Liberation Day with a Google Doodle.

Described in the Google Doodle artwork is the Bulgarian flag, which today is raised at monuments the country over that has strong connections to the history of Liberation Day.

Shipka Pass—a picturesque pass that winds through the Balkans Mountains—is home to one of their most significant historical sites filled with relics of the nation’s battle for independence.

A bronze lion guards the memorial entrance that prompts 890 stone steps all the way to the monument at the peak. As a holiday tradition, local people and travelers give the memorial with wreaths of flowers and Bulgarian flags to honor their past.

In the capital Sofia, the flag is raised high over the city to mark the beginning of Liberation Day ceremonies, as national leaders assemble in fortitude to honor the individuals who bound together Bulgaria all through its proud history.