News - South Africa, Pretoria, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria

On 2 March, Ambassador Maria Tzotzorkova and the Embassy team joined the celebrations marking the National Day of the Republic of Bulgaria, 3 March, at the Bulgarian Cultural Club in Midrand, Johannesburg.

The event was organised by the Association of Bulgarians in South Africa and brought together a large number of members of the Bulgarian community, as well as pupils from the Sluncho Bulgarian Sunday School.

The Bulgarian Ambassador recalled the historical significance of Bulgaria’s Liberation in 1878, which laid the foundations for the restoration of Bulgarian statehood. She also highlighted the work of the Constituent National Assembly in Veliko Tarnovo and the adoption of the Tarnovo Constitution, a landmark act in the establishment of the modern Bulgarian state and a testament to the democratic principles underpinning its development.

As part of the programme, the Embassy presented the documentary film “Highlights from the First Bulgarian Parliament”, which offers a compelling account of the first debates in Bulgaria’s newly established National Assembly and the drafting of the Constitution, considered one of the most democratic in Europe at the time.

Greetings were also extended on the occasion of Baba Marta, one of Bulgaria’s most beloved and optimistic traditions, symbolising health, hope and new beginnings.

The event reaffirmed the important role of Bulgarian organisations abroad as natural centres for preserving national identity, language and culture, and for fostering unity among Bulgarians living far from their homeland.