Every Day Is Special: Bulgaria

Showing posts with label Bulgaria. Show all posts

May 24 - Day of Slavic Script, Education and Culture in Bulgaria

Posted on May 24, 2021

This is an update of my post published on May 24, 2010:

On this day, people in Bulgaria pay tribute to Saints Cyril and Methodius, brothers who developed Cyrillic script (a.k.a. the Slavic alphabet) more than a thousand years ago.

The brothers created this alphabet in Bulgaria, but it spread, and today it is used widely, for languages such as Bulgarian (of course), Russian, Belarusian, Rusyn, Serbian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Ukrainian, Moldovan, Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Tuvan, and Mongolian.

If you've ever seen Russian, with its mixture of familiar letters, backwards-facing Rs, and unfamiliar letters, you've seen Cyrillic script.

This says "Bulgaria" in Cyrillic script.

Did you know...?

The word alphabet comes from the name of the first two letters in the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta. The Slavic alphabet is sometimes called azbuka, which comes from the old names of the first two letters.

Cyrillic script was the third alphabet used by the E.U. (European Union). The first two were the Latin alphabet (which I am using right now) and the Greek alphabet.

Since the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, several nations have switched from using Cyrillic script to either using the Latin alphabet only or using a mixture of the two. The nations making this change include Moldova, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

What do you think?

Some people think that the countries who use Cyrillic script—particularly the European nations that have joined or wish to join the E.U.—should switch to the Latin alphabet, which is the dominant alphabet in the world. To not switch, these people argue, is to hold the nation back.

However, others argue that, for reasons of historical tradition and cultural pride, they should keep the Slavic alphabet.

What do you think?

This kind of discussion happens all over the world, not just with alphabets, but also with languages and customs. Is it helpful and practical to give up a minority language? Or is it important to keep the “old ways” alive? Obviously, many people learn their native language (using its traditional alphabet, whatever it may be) and also a more widespread second language such as English. But in some cases, it can be hard to interest young people in a little-used language. (As a kid, would you rather learn two different languages and two different alphabets, or would you just want to learn the one that is used the most?) Should those kids be forced to learn the language of their heritage? Will they regret not learning it, later?

Here is regular Cyrillic script used in Bulgaria, and then the cursive version:

Learn about Bulgaria.

Here is a website with some facts and figures about Bulgaria.

Enjoy Bulgarian dancing.

Enjoy a tour of Bulgaria's beauty in just 4 minutes!

There are seven Rila Lakes, and

each one empties into the next.

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the publishing of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

Musician Bob Dylan's birthday

International Tiara Day

Queen Victoria's birthday

Botanist Ynes Mexia's birthday

Morse Code Day

Independence Day in Eritrea

Commonwealth Day in Belize

Lubiri Attack Memorial Day in Buganda

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

June 2 - Botev Day in Bulgaria

Posted on June 2, 2020

Today Bulgarians will hear air raid sirens exactly at noon, and they will stand silently for the full minute the sirens blare. This is to remember and honor a revolutionary hero named Hristo Botev.

Botev was born on January 6, 1848, in Kalofer, Bulgaria, which was then ruled by the Ottoman Empire. At age 20, he was exiled for speaking against the Ottoman authorities and wealthy Bulgarians who enabled them to ruthlessly rule their nation.

In exile, Botev became a teacher and a poet, and he befriended pro-independence Bulgarians who were also exiled. He edited and wrote for several revolutionary newspapers - and he was even imprisoned in Romania for hanging with Russian revolutionaries!

The map above shows the location of Bulgaria.
The map below shows the size of the Ottoman Empire
before Botev was born.

When Botev and other Bulgarian patriots heard that there would be an uprising in their homeland, in 1876, they found ways to sneak back into Bulgaria. Botev led a group of freedom fighters disguised as gardeners onto a steamship (boarding in varying sizes of groups from several different ports). Botev convinced the captain of the steamship that their cause was worthy, and before they landed all the "gardeners" armed themselves with their hidden weapons.

When they reached the shores of Bulgaria, Botev led them to ritualistically kiss the ground.

But the rebels soon discovered that the region of Bulgaria where they landed had not risen up against the Ottoman Empire. Other regions were experiencing uprisings, and so the Ottoman army was very active and alert - and everywhere! So Botev's unit really never had a chance.

Botev and another rebel, who had actual soldiering experience, did a great job of holding out against a much stronger Ottoman force, but unfortunately no townspeople joined the fight, and no reinforcements from other regions reached them. When a sharpshooter shot and instantly killed Botev, his unit lost heart and tried to escape. But very few were able to get away to live and fight another day.

It's a sad tale, and Botev died when he was just 28 years old. A couple of years later Bulgaria did manage to achieve independence from the Ottoman Empire. And Botev's reputation has been building ever since then.

The monument above is located near the place
where Botev and his unit fought and died.

The inset Is a painting of Botev
and other Bulgarian revolutionaries.

Below is a memorial complex located in
Botev's hometown of Kalofer.

Also on this date:

Republic Day in Italy

Rocky Road Day

Poet Thomas Hardy's birthday

Anniversary of communications inventions (wires and wireless)

Geochemist Clair Patterson's birthday

Yell “Fudge” at the Cobras in North America Day

National Bubba Day

Birthday of artist Tobias Rehberger

Anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper

Civil Aviation Day in Azerbaijan

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

July holidays

July birthdays

Historical anniversaries in July

May 6 - Day of Bravery in Bulgaria

Posted on May 6, 2020

Military parades and fireworks give the hint: today's Bulgarian holiday is not necessarily meant to honor all kinds of bravery, but rather the kind of warrior bravery seen in armed forces.

It's also St. George's Day (see "Đurđevdan" listing below, under "Also on this date") - and St. George is considered the patron saint of Bulgaria's armed forces.

Like so many other things, I'm sure that parades are out of the question during a pandemic, but maybe the people of Sofia (the capital city) can watch a big fireworks show from their windows and balconies, porches and rooftops?

Bulgaria is perhaps a spot many of us have never visited. I have featured photos of my favorite sightseeing destination (Buzludzha) I'd LOVE to see, if I ever get to go to Bulgaria, in this earlier post.

Here are a few more cool things to see:

The Bulgarian State Monument:

This monument is huge and looms over the town of Shumen like a dark and ominous presence! Built in 1981, during Bulgaria's communist years, the monument commemorates around 1,300 years of Bulgarian history.