site.btaBulgaria Celebrates Unification Day

Bulgaria Celebrates Unification Day

Sofia, September 6 (BTA) - The 131st anniversary of the unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and the province of Eastern Rumelia was celebrated with ceremonies across the nation on Tuesday. President Rosen Plevneliev and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov issued greetings messages.

Plevneliev expressed his conviction that Bulgarians still cherish the ideals of the Unification and called on the people to pass the lessons of the turbulent events of 1885 on to posterity. "In a world full of challenges, it is only together, with the united potential of the whole nation, that we can go forward, conquer the steepest summits and achieve the most important national goals," he said.

For his part, Borissov wrote: "One hundred thirty-one years after the Unification of Bulgaria, the accomplishments of our ancestors show us what Bulgarians are capable of in times of hardship and tribulation. Unification is particularly relevant today, when the country is faced with a number of challenges not only on a national level but also globally."

In Sadina, Northeastern Bulgaria, Vice President Margarita Popova said the Bulgarian people should stay united and oppose any attempt at division.

Presidential candidate Rumen Radev said in the southern town of Asenovgrad: "The Unification was the golden moment in our recent history. It proves that we Bulgarians can take our destiny in our own hands and do something for Bulgaria."

In Sofia, the holiday was celebrated with a ceremony outside the tomb of Prince Alexander of Battenberg, who is remembered as the "unifier prince." The event was organized by City Hall. Meanwhile, the National Museum of History staged an exhibition featuring, among other things, a very rare postcard showing people in Plovdiv in 1885 rejoicing at the news of the Unification and volunteers from all over the country marching through the city. There were also photos of the members of the Revolutionary Committee which was involved in the historic event, commemorative medals, portraits of Prince Alexander of Battenberg and pictures of the Serbo-Bulgarian War of November 1885.