Nearly 3,000 children, students, teachers and principals joined the May 24th march in Sofia. The Day of Knowledge, Spirit and Bulgarian Writing passed with many smiles, orchestras, bands and ensembles, which created a festive atmosphere in the center of the capital.
This year, 84 schools and kindergartens participated in the procession, and for the first time, 38 school flags were included in the columns.
The procession started from the Ministry of Education and Science with the participation of Minister Prof. Georgi Valchev and Deputy Ministers Dr. Tanya Pancheva and Acad. Nikolay Vitanov. The Ministry of Education and Science presented nearly 800 tricolors to the participants in the celebration.
The ceremonial parade was led by the Guards Brass Band and students from the Sofia Theological Seminary. It was attended by President Iliana Yotova, the Speaker of the National Assembly Mihaela Dotsova, the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil, the Mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev, members of parliament from various parliamentary groups, Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov, the Minister of Culture Evtim Miloshev, the Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation Ivan Vassilev, and others. Representatives of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences also joined in, as did the academic council of the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“.
In front of the National Library, first-graders Karina Krasteva from 149. Sofia University “Ivan Hadzhiyski“ and Dario Pavlov from 104. Primary School “Zahari Stoyanov“ performed the poem “I am a Bulgarian“ by Ivan Vazov, and then balloons with the Bulgarian alphabet were released.
Hundreds of citizens, scientists, rectors, professors, and students joined in the sounds of the anthem “Forward, Reborn People“, laid flowers in front of the monument to the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius and paid tribute to their work.
Later, Minister Valchev congratulated the academic community of the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“. He thanked the teaching staff and employees of the university for their dedication and tireless work and urged them to continue their efforts to maintain the high public trust and scientific support that the university has. During the academic celebration, he also honored students with the annual Alma Mater awards for May 24.
Today, Prof. Valchev will also award 25 prominent pedagogical specialists with the honorary awards of the Ministry of Education and Science “Neofit Rilski“. At the annual ceremony, organized by the “Education“ Union at the “Podkrepa“ Trade Union, the chairman Dr. Yulian Petrov will present the “Stoyan Mihaylovski“ of teachers, class teachers, principals, etc.
With a number of cultural initiatives, May 24 was also celebrated by Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad, in which 39,000 children and students study Bulgarian language, history, geography, Bulgarian culture and traditions. Traditionally, teachers and students organize recitals, competitions, concerts, exhibitions. Currently, 401 Sunday schools operate abroad, which are centers of Bulgarian history and memory.