National Awakeners’ Day was marked on Saturday in Odesa, Ukraine, with a big concert by Bulgarian singer and composer Iliya Lukov. The celebration was part of the Week of Bulgarian Culture in Odesa and the region. The event began with addresses by the organisers and officials from Bulgaria and Ukraine to the participants.
Iliya Lukov congratulated Bessarabian Bulgarians on the occasion of the Day of the Awakeners and the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians, which is celebrated on October 29. He performed folk classics, presented gifts to local cultural figures, and wished blessings and peace to Bulgaria, Ukraine, and all Bessarabian Bulgarians.
Addressing the audience before the concert, Bulgaria’s Consul General in Odesa Svetoslav Ivanov said that this year, on the initiative of the Consulate General and in cooperation with Bulgaria’s Ministry of Education and Science, two qualification courses were organized for Bulgarian language teachers from Ukraine. “All of this is a source of pride. I want to express my deep respect to you because you preserve Bulgarian roots and historical memory far from the homeland,” he said, adding “together we will continue to preserve the Bulgarian spirit and traditions.”
MP and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Direct Citizen Participation Rositsa Kirova said she is proud of being in Odesa, to celebrate both the Day of the Bessarabian Bulgarians and the Day of the Enlighteners, with a concert by Bulgarian singer Iliya Lukov. She praised the “people who preserve the Bulgarian spirit, traditions, customs, people who carry in their hearts what our ancestors bequeathed to us, which makes us strong and gives us hope that these children here, in this hall, will live in a free, sunny Ukraine and will carry Bulgaria in their hearts.” Kirova added that Bulgaria lives wherever the Bulgarian language and traditions are kept alive. Together with the Education and Foreign Ministries, “we support the preservation of the status of the Bolgrad High School, the oldest educational institution outside Bulgaria,” she said, adding that about 70% of its students are of Bulgarian descent. Kirova said that she had proposed amendments to the Bulgarian Citizenship Act to make it easier for Bulgarians worldwide to obtain citizenship, describing laws as “bridges” connecting people, identity, and heritage. In conclusion, she called the Bessarabian Bulgarians a living link between Bulgaria’s past and future, and wished everyone health, peace, and above all – an end to the war in Ukraine.
Deputy Minister of Culture Ashot Kazaryan praised Bessarabian Bulgarians for preserving Bulgarian identity and spirit through the centuries. Today’s enlighteners are teachers, cultural workers, artists, and performers who continue the mission of Bulgaria’s historical revivalists by keeping national traditions and spirituality alive, Kazaryan said. Kazaryan thanked the Ukrainian authorities for supporting the Bulgarian community and maintaining institutions such as community centres, schools, and libraries, which strengthen cultural ties between Bulgaria and Ukraine. He also highlighted the importance of monuments to figures like General Ivan Inzov, General Ivan Kolev, and the Bulgarian volunteers, as symbols of shared history. At the ceremony, he awarded certificates of recognition to several cultural figures for their contributions to promoting Bulgarian culture and art.
Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev addressed the gathering, saying that the Agency has published over 8,000 stories in its BG World section in 2024 and maintains permanent press clubs and correspondents in Odesa and Taraclia. Since 2022, BTA has been the only foreign news agency with a full-time correspondent in Odesa, who has filed over 1,400 reports about Bulgarians in Ukraine. “Through its work, BTA helps Bulgarians everywhere communicate and remain united in spirit, peace, and freedom,” Valchev said.
Acting Chair of the Odesa City Council Ihor Koval and Deputy Chair of the Odesa Regional Council Vadim Shkarovskoy greeted the Bulgarian community at the ceremony. Koval thanked the organizers and participants, noting that the week’s events had allowed citizens to immerse themselves in Bulgarian traditions and honor the figures who shaped Bulgarian culture. Shkarovskоy said that the Bulgarians of Odesa Region have preserved their history, culture, and language, passing them down through generations. “A people who remember and continue their history have a future. Together, we are one country – a country that will work and develop without forgetting its past,” he added.
Odesa Region Ombudsman representative Maria Popova said that “today we remember those who stood at the beginning of the creation of independent Bulgaria and who, living here, in Ukraine, helped build it with their knowledge and efforts.” Speaking on behalf of the Verkhovna Rada and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Popova congratulated the Bulgarian community on the Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians, the Day of the Enlighteners, and the Week of Bulgarian Culture in Odesa. She thanked Bulgaria for supporting Ukrainian citizens of Bulgarian origin, especially those displaced by the war, and expressed gratitude for educational programmes that allow young Bulgarians in Ukraine to study in Bulgaria, helping preserve their cultural and linguistic ties. Popova concluded by wishing the Bulgarian community health, peace, and inspiration to continue preserving their traditions and national spirit.
Chargé d’Affaires of the Bulgarian Embassy in Kyiv Elena Slatinska-Ovanezova congratulated everyone on the holiday, a day honouring knowledge, education, and the Bulgarian spirit. She expressed her joy at once again being among the Bulgarian community in Ukraine and thanked the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Odesa, the Bulgarian News Agency, and local authorities for organizing the event. Slatinska-Ovanezova emphasized that this is one of Bulgaria’s most meaningful holidays, symbolizing the nation’s longstanding pursuit of learning and enlightenment. She wished the attendees health, happiness, prosperity, and peace, hoping that all will soon be able to celebrate in peaceful times.
The celebration in Odesa concluded with the last of a series of concerts Song and Dance Unite Hearts: Iliya Lukov and Bulgarian Folk Ensembles from Bessarabia in Moldova and Ukraine on the occasion of the Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians, organized at the initiative of the Bulgarian News Agency, with the support of the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Odesa, and with the gratuitous participation of Iliya Lukov.
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