March 3rd: Celebrating the Day Bulgaria Was Freed

Five centuries is a long time to wait. That is how long Bulgaria spent under Ottoman rule - from the late 14th century until the morning of March 3, 1878, when a peace treaty signed in a small village outside Constantinople gave the Bulgarian state back to the Bulgarian people. That date became the country's National Day, and it remains one of the most emotionally charged days on the Bulgarian calendar. ...