Bulgarian Armed Forces Day
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Bulgarian Armed Forces Day (), also known as the Day of Bravery () or the Day of Bravery and Holiday of the Bulgarian Army () is a national holiday celebrated annually on May 6, commemorating the
Bulgarian Armed Forces The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in ...
. The event is marked by
military parade A military parade is a formation of military personnels whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as Drill team, drilling or marching. Large military parades are today held on major holidays and military events around the ...
s, fireworks and ceremonies across the country. As Armed Forces Day is the national military holiday of Bulgaria the celebrations in Sofia thus serve as a national event to mark the holiday.


History


19th century

On 22 July 1878, 12 battalions of volunteer units who had participated in war, formed the Bulgarian Armed Forces. St Georges Day was officially pronounced as the Day of the Bulgarian Army in 1880. The date was set for April 23, and from 1916, due to the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, the
Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and t ...
decided to celebrate the holiday on May 6.Ден на храбростта и празник на Българската армия – 6 май
/ref>Гергьовден – празникът на българската бойна слава
, „Гласове“, 06.05.2014
At the very beginning, the holiday was celebrated modestly, with a short review of the
Tsar of Bulgaria The monarchs of Bulgaria ruled Bulgaria during the medieval First Bulgarian Empire, First ( 681–1018) and Second Bulgarian Empire, Second (1185–1422) Bulgarian empires, as well as during the modern Principality of Bulgaria, Principality (1879 ...
taking place. For a long time, in parallel with the Day of Bravery, there was Victory Day, the so-called Little St. George's Day, celebrated on November 27 in honor of the
Battle of Slivnitsa The Battle of Slivnitsa (, ) was a battle between the Bulgarian army and the Royal Serbian Army on 17–19 November 1885, in the Serbo-Bulgarian War. The Bulgarian victory solidified the unification between the Principality of Bulgaria and ...
during the
Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War (, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', , ''Srpsko-bugarski rat''), a war between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Bulgaria, erupted on and lasted until . Despite Bulgaria's statu ...
. In 1931, the Day of Bravery was declared martial celebration of the army.


Communist era

After the proclamation of the
People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; , NRB; ) was the official name of Bulgaria when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; ) together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agraria ...
in 1946, the celebration of the holiday on 6 May was stopped. The date of 9 September became the national day of Bulgaria under communist rule (commemorating the
1944 Bulgarian coup d'état The 1944 Bulgarian coup d'état, also known as the 9 September coup d'état (), was a coup that overthrew the government of Kingdom of Bulgaria on the eve of 9 September 1944. During the People's Republic of Bulgaria it was called using the pr ...
) and was adopted as a holiday of the army. A year later, the first festive military parade was held on the occasion of the holiday. In 1953, 23 September was designated as the Day of the
Bulgarian People's Army The Bulgarian People's Army (, BNA) was the army of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. It comprised the Bulgarian Land Forces, Air Force and Air Defence, Navy and supporting arms. Bulgaria was one of the signatories of the Warsaw Pact. Along with ...
. Its significance lies in it being the day of the staging of the September Uprising in 1923. Despite now having a designated
army day An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by p ...
, major military celebrations continued to take place on September 9, with the most significant military parade being held on the 1944 coup's 30th anniversary 1974 as well as the celebrations dedicated to the
1300th Anniversary of the Bulgarian State The 1300th Anniversary of the Bulgarian State was a yearlong celebration in 1981 when Bulgaria celebrated the 1300th anniversary of the establishment of the first Bulgarian state in modern history. There were 23,000 events connected with the 13 ...
in 1981.


Post-1989

After 1990, the seventh Grand National Assembly set August 23 as the holiday of the army, commemorating the 1877
Battle of Shipka Pass The Battle of Shipka Pass consisted of four battles that were fought between the Russian Empire, aided by Bulgarian volunteers known as opalchentsi, and the Ottoman Empire for control over the vital Shipka Pass during the Russo-Turkish War (18 ...
during the
Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...
. This date was changed in January 1993, when by a decree of the Council of Ministers, 6 May returned to the holiday calendar as the armed forces day.


Notable anniversaries


1937

The parade in 1937 saw
Tsar Boris III Boris III (; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier), was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death in 1943. The eldest son ...
presented the new battle flags to the Sofia regiments, with the old battle flags being burnt and torn by bullets. The new flags were consecrated by Metropolitan
Stefan I of Bulgaria Stefan I was a Bulgarian prelate. He was elected Metropolitan of Sofia in 1922 and, from 1945, also served as Exarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. He actively contributed to the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews in World War II World War ...
and then the Tsar with a gilded hammer nailed to each of them a gilded nail with the image of his
monogram A monogram is a motif (visual arts), motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbo ...
.


2009

The celebrations marked 5 years since Bulgaria's accession to
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
in 2004 and was the largest armed forces day celebration since its revival as a national holiday in the 1990s. It also marked the first time foreign troops took part in the annual parade, with the
Hellenic Naval Band The Hellenic Navy Band () is a Greek military band which was established in 1879. It is located at the military base in Votanikos, Athens. For more than a century, the band has performed at major state events in Greece on behalf of the Hellenic Na ...
, the
Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, also known as the Red Army Band is a military band unit of the Russian Armed Forces. It is a branch of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia. The current head of the ba ...
and the United States Naval Forces Europe Band taking part in the parade.


2016

The celebrations were the largest since 2009, with more than 1,300 military personnel, aircraft and armoured vehicles being involved in the parade. The Bulgarian Air Force’s MiG-29 jet fighters, SU-25s, Mi-17 and Cougar helicopters and other aircraft took part in the parade.


2017

Three
MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twinjet, twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the large ...
jets, two Cougar Helicopters and one
Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 (NATO reporting name: Hip) is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production at two factories in Russia, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russia ...
helicopter parade, which was commanded by Air Force Major General .


2018

Macedonian troops took part in the festivities for the first time. This was also the first time the representative military bands of the Bulgarian Army, Air Force and Navy took part in the parade with the Representative Brass Band of the National Guards Unit of Bulgaria.


2020

Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria The COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bulgaria when the country's first ...
, the annual parade was cancelled with the Defence Minister ordering small scale celebrations at military academies instead. When questioned on this while peaking at a special sitting of the
National Assembly of Bulgaria The National Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral parliament and Legislature, legislative body of the Republic of Bulgaria. The first National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution. During the People's Republic ...
on April 28, Prime Minister
Boyko Borissov Boyko Metodiev Borisov (, born 13 June 1959) is a Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria on three separate occasions, serving a total of 9 years between 2009 and 2021, making him the country's longest-serving post-communi ...
confirmed this, saying: "There will be no parade. How could there be a parade on May 6? Where would people stand?" The possibility of a small demonstration by parachutists on the morning of May 6 was also looked into by the minister.


2021

In 2021, a parade, held in compliance with anti-pandemic measures, took place at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier near Saint Sophia Church in Sofia. A solemn consecration of the battle flags and sacred flags took place in Sofia in the presence of the Secretary General of the Holy Synod of the
Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and t ...
. Representatives of the National Guard, the Land Forces and the Special Operations Forces took part in the ritual. In the area of the
61st Stryamska Mechanized Brigade 61st Stryamska Mechanized Infantry Brigade () is a mechanized infantry brigade of the Bulgarian land forces. It is based in Karlovo, central Bulgaria. 61st Brigade is one of the two units in the Bulgarian army which will have an increase in per ...
, servicemen from the Land Forces presented combat equipment. In the Joint Command of Special Operations, over 80 servicemen demonstrated specialized wheeled and aviation equipment. They carried out elements of an operation to neutralize terrorists.


Expanded summary of celebrations


Ceremony at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier

The celebrations officially begin at 9am with the laying of flowers at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier by
President of Bulgaria The president of the Republic of Bulgaria (, romanised: ''Prezident na Republika Bŭlgariya'') is the head of state of Bulgaria and the commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Army. The official residence of the president is at Boyana Residence, S ...
and members of government. Here, following a flag raising ceremony, the patriarch or other representative of the high clergy of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates a memorial service for the fallen servicemen, a prayer for the living and a blessing of holy water to the colours of the Armed Forces, past and present. Wreaths and flowers are presented in memory of the fallen soldiers.


Military parade

The celebrations then continue as the parade commander (The commander is usually a Major General or Rear Admiral of the Armed Forces) arrives to take his place in the parade and receives the salutes of the Commandant,
Georgi Rakovski Military Academy The Georgi Rakovski Military Academy (), based in Sofia, is Bulgaria's oldest military institution of higher education. It is named after Bulgarian revolutionary writer Georgi Sava Rakovski. History It was officially established on 1 March 1912 ...
, reporting on the readiness of the formations at the
Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square Prince Alexander I Square (), often called simply Battenberg Square (площад Батенберг) is the List of city squares by size, largest square of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is named after Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria, Alexan ...
. At 10am, after a fanfare is sounded by the Guards Band of the National Guards Unit or/and the other bands within the Massed Bands of the Sofia Garrison, the President arrives and the parade commander marches towards him, informing that the parade is now ready for inspection. He then inspects the band and upon reaching the color guard of the National Guards Unit, he then pays compliments to the
Flag of Bulgaria The national flag of the Republic of Bulgaria is a tricolour consisting of three equal-sized horizontal bands of (from top to bottom) white, green, and red. The flag was first adopted after the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, when Bulgaria gained ...
and to the massed military colours. He then inspects each of the participating parade contingents, stopping each time to greet each of the formed troops and as the inspection ends, he then approaches a makeshift saluting base at the National Art Gallery where after a fanfare has been sounded, he then makes his holiday address to the nation. As the address concludes the parade commander shouts While the entire parade responses with a long ''Oorah!'', the Band then sounds the final measures of the Armed Forces Hymn ''Great are our Soldiers'', and as the parade presents arms,
Mila Rodino "" ( ; ) is the national anthem of Bulgaria. It was composed and written by Tsvetan Radoslavov as he left to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885. It was adopted in 1964. Its lyrics have been changed many times, most recently in 1990. On 12 J ...
is then played with a 21-gun salute.На 6 май отбелязваме Деня на храбростта и Българската армия
Dnes.Dir.bg, 05.05.2015
The parade is then ordered to order arms and to stand at ease, and afterward the parade marches off the square in preparation for the march past as a Bulgarian Air Force helicopter commences the flypast carrying the national flag. The drummers of the massed bands beat a cadence as the parade marches off the square, reforming at its southern end for the march past to begin later on led by the parade commander. Until 2012, the parade in Sofia passed in the direction of the Presidency to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral near the
Central Military Club The Central Military Club (, ''Tsentralen voenen klub'') is a multi-purpose monument of culture building in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, located on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard and Georgi Rakovski Street. It serves the Bulgarian Ar ...
, similar to the communist-era tradition. Since 2012, the parade has reversed direction and passed from the cathedral to the Presidency.Гергьовден – Ден на храбростта и Празник на армията
Vesti.bg, 06.05.2012
Also, since 2012, the word "gentlemen" has been dropped from the official addresses of the parade, in connection with the increasing entry of women into the army and their participation in military parades.Военен парад в София за Гергьовден
БНТ, 06.05.2015


Other

As a rule, the National History Museum, the National Military History Museum in Sofia, and the Aviation Museum near
Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...
and others declare an open day. Photo galleries on military and military-historical themes, specialized exhibitions of historical artifacts, distribution of a military portion of food prepared from the field kitchen in real field conditions and more.Шести май – Денят на храбростта и празник на армията
БТВ, 06.05.2015
The official celebration of the holiday ends at 12 noon with the solemn change of the honor guard in front of the Presidency.


Gallery of the celebrations

File:BVMS Parade.jpg, Sailors of the
Bulgarian Navy The Bulgarian Navy () is the navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; name ...
File:UnitUA Parade.jpg, Musicians of the National Exemplary Band of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. File:UnitIT Parade.jpg, Servicemen of the Italian
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...
. File:Bulgarian sa-10 launcher.jpg, A Bulgarian
S-300 missile system The S-300 (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a series of long-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the former Soviet Union. It was produced by NPO Almaz for the Soviet Air Defence Forces to defend against air raids and cruise ...
being displayed. File:Servicemen With Wreaths.jpg, Servicemen with wreaths on the holiday.


See also

*
Public holidays in Bulgaria The official public holidays in Bulgaria are listed in the table below. Other observances * 1 March - Baba Marta Day - Баба Марта * 8 March - Mother's Day - Ден на майката * 6 May - Armed Forces Day - Ден на въ ...
*
Bulgarian Armed Forces The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in ...
*
Armed Forces Day An Armed Forces Day, alongside its Military branch, branch-specific variants often referred to as Army or Soldier's Day, Navy or Sailor's Day, and Air Force or Aviator's Day, is a holiday dedicated to honoring the Military, armed forces, o ...


References

Armed Forces days Public holidays in Bulgaria Parades in Bulgaria Spring (season) in Bulgaria