On January 6, Bulgaria marked the 175th birth anniversary of the revolutionary poet Hristo Botev with military rituals and wreath-laying ceremonies in many settlements.
In Kalofer, Botev's hometown, the ceremony was attended by Vice President Iliana Iotova.
In her address, Iotova said that 175 years ago, "this holy Bulgarian land gave birth to a genius - a talented, fiery person, who left a deep mark on Bulgarian history. A man, who left a trail from Kozloduy to Okolchitsa Peak, a trail every Bulgarian must follow".
"Botev's image will always be alive for us, we will always have something to say about him and worship him for. He is the symbol of the free person," Iotova said.
The Mayor of Kalofer read out an address by caretaker Culture Minister Velislav Minekov, the Culture Ministry said. In Minekov's words, Hristo Botev's message sounds even stronger because it was backed with deeds. "It is our duty to pass Botev's legacy on to the future generations as a paragon and symbol of hope in moments of hardship, with which our days are fraught," he said.
He recalled that the Culture Ministry will confer an award for poetry and journalism named after Hristo Botev. "I am convinced that the award will encourage us to follow Botev's example together and to remember that freedom and justice must be fought for daily by every single one of us," Minekov stated.
On the occasion of the anniversary, Vyara Emilova MP of BSP for Bulgaria stated that Botev's memory has not fallen into obscurity, but is getting more illuminating, captivating, and unifying with every year passing. "Any attempt to trivialize the revolutionary will fail, because the dream of every Bulgarian for a free and just country is encoded in his immortal messages," Emilova said.
Verses written by the revolutionary were recited in front of the Bulgarian Embassy in Skopje, where representatives of the diplomatic mission to the Republic of North Macedonia, of the Bulgarian Cultural and Information Centre, and of the Bulgarian community marked the 175th birth anniversary of Hristo Botev. Wreaths and flowers were laid before his bas-relief at the entrance to the Embassy.
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