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Happy 3rd of March!
The year 2017 marks the 139th anniversary of Bulgaria’s Liberation. It will be celebrated with various events across the country.
On this historic date in 1878 the Peace Treaty of San Stefano was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, which ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The document marks the beginning of the Third Bulgarian State. The peace treaty was signed in the small town of San Stefano (today’s Yeshilkioy) by Count Nikolay Ignatiev and Al. Nelyudov on behalf of Russia and Savfet Pasha and Sadoullah Bey on behalf of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty was preliminary and was subject to approval by the other Great Powers. The decrees concerning Bulgaria included articles 6 through 11 and article 19.
According to them, Bulgaria is established as an autonomous, but tributary state with borders covering with small exceptions almost all territories in the European part of Turkey inhabited by Bulgarians. Its total area exceeded 170,000 sq.km.
It was vested with a number of rights, including to demand recognition from other countries beyond those signing the Peace Treaty of San Stefano, as well as the right to international commercial relations and trade representations; to enter into commercial, financial and administrative-legal contracts with the consent and approval of the suzerain Turkey or the custodian Russia in the transitional period, and to have its own army and police.
For the first time the 3rd of March was celebrated in 1880, two years after the Liberation, as the Accession Day of Emperor Alexander II. Two years later, in 1882, the State Council adopted a “List of non-working days in the Principality of Bulgaria”. It states for the first time that the day of 19th February is celebrated as the “Closing of the Peace Treaty of San Stefano”.
Not mentioning Emperor Alexander II is consistent with the fact that in 1881 he was assassinated and inherited by his son Alexander Alexandrovich. Pursuant to Decree 78 of 31 December 1887 a list of non-working days in Bulgaria was approved. In it, the 19th of February was marked as the day of “The Liberation of Bulgaria”. In 1911 a new Law on Holidays and Sunday Rest was adopted and it also marked the 19th of February as the day of “The Liberation of Bulgaria”. This law remained in force until October 1951 when it was formally repealed by the Labour Code.
With the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1916 the events from the 19th and 20th centuries were restated, adding 12 days to the date of 19th of February for the 19th century and 13 days for the 20th century, respectively. The day of 19th of February 1878 in old style became the 3rd of March in new style. For the first time the 3rd of March in the new style was celebrated in 1917.
The 3rd of March was celebrated as a holiday until 1949. In 1950, pursuant to a decree of the Council of Ministers defining the non-working days in 1950 calendar year, the 3rd of March for the first time was excluded from the list of non-working days.
One-off, as a formal holiday, the day was celebrated in 1978 on the occasion of the centenary of the Liberation. Ten years later, by a decision of the July Plenum (1987) of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party and of the Council of Ministers the 3rd of March was restored as official holiday. By a decision of the State Council of 27 February 1990 and of the National Assembly since 5 March the same year the date was announced as national holiday.
