site.btaIn 1898, Newly Established BTA Covers March 3 Celebration in Sofia

On March 3, 1878 (old style February 19, 1878), the Act of the Preliminaries of Peace was signed in San Stefano (a village on the western outskirts of Constantinople, now Istanbul's neighbourhood of Yesilkoy) by the Russian and Ottoman Empires, ending the 1877-1879 Russo-Turkish War and constituting Bulgaria "an autonomous tributary Principality" after 482 years of Ottoman rule in the Bulgarian lands. The Act was signed by Count Nicolai Ignatieff and Aleksandr Nelidov for Russia and Foreign Minister Mehmed Safvet Pasha and the ambassador to Germany, Sabulah Bey, for the Ottoman Empire. This international act established, though not definitively, the borders of the future Third Bulgarian State.

 Bulgaria's Liberation Day was first observed on February 19, 1880. By an order of January 9, 1880, issued by Prince Alexander I, acting on a proposal by the Minister of War, Gen. Pyotr Parensov and a Council of Ministers' decree, February 19 was officially listed as "The Accession to the Throne of the Emperor Alexander II and the Conclusion of the Treaty of San Stefano."

On December 31, 1887, Prince Ferdinand ordered that February 19 will start to be celebrated as the "Liberation Day of Bulgaria" in 1888.

The Bulgarian News Agency was established by an order of Prince Ferdinand I as the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) on January 27, 1898. BTA issued its first news bulletin on February 16, 1898.

Some of its first bulletins describe the formal celebration of the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's Liberation:

Sofia, February 19, 1898 (BTA) - On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's Liberation, a thanksgiving service was held at 10am in the St King cathedral in the presence of ministers, all civil officials, high-ranking officers and a large crowd of citizens. After the service, a parade of the entire Sofia Garrison took place, marching past the Minister of War, Col. Ivanov, representing His Royal Highness the Prince, the Supreme Commander of the Army.

His Excellency Mr. Bakhmetiev, a Russian representative, accompanied by the senior staff of the Imperial Diplomatic Agency, also graced the celebration with his presence.

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March 3 was designated Bulgaria's National Day in 1990.