The city celebration of the Day of the National Awakeners in front of the home of Stanka and Nikola Ikonomov began with a recital by Zara Urucheva and Tuana Yuksel from the “N. Ikonomov” Primary School, led by Daniel Peev, who performed the poems “Dear Fatherland, how beautiful you are!” and “Come and see us!” by the patriarch of Bulgarian literature Ivan Vazov and the song “Where is Bulgaria” performed by the graduate of the Center for Work with Children Ilkan Chaushev with vocal pedagogue Svilena Decheva.
Official guests of the celebration were the deputy mayors of Razgrad Elka Nedelcheva, Zornitsa Evgenieva and Habibe Rasim, the chairwoman of the Razgrad Municipal Council Galina Ivanova, and the deputy regional governor Mihail Todorov.
“On November 1, we celebrate one of the most cherished Bulgarian holidays. 106 years ago, at the initiative of Stoyan Marchevsky – Minister of Public Education, the Day of the People’s Awakeners was declared an official holiday, dedicated to all deserving Bulgarians, as they expressed themselves then. In post-liberation Bulgaria, everyone – from representatives of the elite to ordinary people, is aware of the feat of Paisii Hilendarski, Sophrony Vrachanski, Neofit Bozveli, Ivan Rilski, Dr. Petar Beron, Lyuben Karavelov, Hristo Botev, Vasil Levski, Ivan Vazov and many other patriotic Bulgarians who lead our people towards enlightenment, towards freedom, towards national and cultural ideals”, said the director of the Regional History Museum Tanya Todorova in her speech.
She recalled that on November 1, Razgrad pays tribute to the memory of the Razgrad luminaries Nikola Ikonomov and Stanka Nikolitsa Spaso-Elenina, who initiated the educational work here.
“The thread that connects this Revival family, Ananie Yavashov, Dimitar Nenov, Iliya Petrov, Boyan Penev, Dimo Hranov and many others with the contemporary Razgrad teachers is the awakening. Their worthy successors in contemporary Razgrad are our educational figures, representatives of the creative and scientific intelligence, of museum, library and community center activities”, said Tanya Todorova.
And she called on all Razgrad residents to find an appropriate time and place to support them and express their gratitude to them – despite our difficult workday.
November 1st is also the Day of Bulgarian Science. On this occasion, Professor Stanka Damyanova – winner of the Nikola Ikonomov Award for high achievements in the field of scientific research, director of the Razgrad Branch of the “Angel Kanchev” University of Ruse – stood in front of the crowd at the celebration.
“It is wonderful to remember and honor the past, but we must also think about future generations. Therefore – let all who educate, all those connected with culture and art continue to be our awakeners.
“I am honored to be the recipient of this prestigious award. Perhaps it is the most worthy one for me, as I appreciate its meaning”, said Prof. Damyanova in her speech.
And more: “Today, most of the enlighteners are interactive, internet-connected. But that’s the generation and we must take this into account and continue to work for enlightenment, for literature, for education. So that these young people who come after us can be educated, can be worthy Bulgarians.”
The first to place a garland on the bas-relief of Stanka and Nikola Ikonomov were students from the school, for which the day is also a patron saint’s holiday – “Nikola Ikonomov” Primary School. As a sign of gratitude, wreaths and flowers were presented by representatives of local and state authorities, representatives of schools, cultural institutions, political parties, organizations and citizens.
After the ceremony, those attending the celebration had the opportunity to tour the home of the first Bulgarian translator Stanka Nikolitsa Spaso-Elenina and the author of the first agricultural textbook, Nikola Ikonomov.
See more photos on the museum’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/regionalhistorymuseumrazgrad/
