On the occasion of the Day of the People's Awakeners, the chairman of “Vazrazhdane“ - Kostadin Kostadinov, delivered a festive address to the Bulgarian people. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the holiday and the role of the awakeners in preserving Bulgarian spirituality and national identity, the party's press center reported.
“Happy holiday of the people's awakeners, dear compatriots! We, the Bulgarians, have a holiday that, for better or worse, other peoples in Europe do not have – the holiday that commemorates the enormous sacrifice and contribution of a handful of people, in the literal sense of the word, thanks to whom we exist as a people“, said Kostadinov.
He recalled that during the Bulgarian Renaissance in the 18th and 19th centuries, a significant part of the people had a sense of belonging, but not a national self-awareness. According to him, it was the people's leaders who awakened the sense of belonging and laid the foundations of the modern Bulgarian nation.
„The danger to the existence of the Bulgarian people was extremely great at that time. But thanks to the sacrifice of dozens and hundreds of Bulgarian patriots, our people are awakening, realizing their strength, their history and their identity“, said the chairman of “Vazrazhdane“.
“Extremely serious assimilation processes are beginning on the periphery of the Bulgarian territory, and in the places where foreign trade colonies have settled – mainly Greek – in Bulgarian cities, even in the heart of the Bulgarian ethnic lands - Moesia, Thrace, Pomoravie, Dobrudja and Macedonia, Greek colonies and enclaves are beginning to form. The danger to the existence of the Bulgarian people is extremely great.
But thanks to the sacrifice of several, in the literal sense of the word, dozens to several hundred Bulgarian patriots, who selflessly and willingly give their all – including their lives, sometimes, but unfortunately in most cases, thanks to all that they do, the Bulgarians are beginning to awaken. They are realizing their strength, their influence, their great and mighty history, their identity and are beginning to define themselves as a people – one of the great, at that time not only Balkan, but also European peoples”, recalled Kostadinov.
He emphasized that the Day of the People's Awakeners is celebrated on November 1 – according to the old Julian calendar. This is also the day on which the Orthodox Church commemorates St. John of Rila, the heavenly patron of the Bulgarian people.
„On this day, let each of us bow our heads before our predecessors. Awakening is inherent in every person, if only he wants to. In each of us flows the blood of the people's awakeners“, Kostadinov pointed out.
In conclusion, he called on Bulgarians to be an example and inspiration in the modern era:
“Our people continue to need awakeners, people who lead and set a good example. Be good, be the awakeners of today. Everything we do, we do for our children and for the future of Bulgaria. Happy holiday and long live Bulgaria!“, greeted the chairman of “Vazrazhdane” Kostadin Kostadinov.