Today, we do not simply mark a date. Today, we bow our knees before the eternal flame of Bulgarian freedom.

“He is alive, he is alive!”

One hundred and fifty years ago, on June 2, 1876, near Vola in the Balkan Mountains, a bullet cut short the life of the brightest genius Bulgaria has ever given birth to – Hristo Botev. But that bullet failed to kill his spirit.

“He is alive, he is alive!” – In the storm, in the song, in the blood of everyone who loves freedom.

“He who falls in the fight for freedom does not die…”

These words are not just a verse. They are a legacy. A legacy that Botev left us before he himself fell for it.

He was young – barely 28. But in his chest burned a fire stronger than all the empires of this world. He knew he might die. And yet, he went. Because there was something more important than life – the dignity of his people.

“Evening draws near – the moon rises, stars dot the heavenly vault; the forest rustles, the wind blows, the Balkan sings a haidouk song!”

And to this day, the Balkan sings. It sings with the voice of Botev, of Levski, of the thousands of nameless heroes whose bones have become part of the Bulgarian land.

Today, we do not mourn. We blaze.

We blaze with pride that we are their descendants. We blaze with pain that freedom is never given for free. We blaze with faith that as long as there are Bulgarians who remember these verses, no one can conquer us.

Hristo Botev did not die on June 2, 1876. He simply moved into the hearts of all of us.

And as long as we breathe, as long as we recite his verses with trembling voices, he is alive!

Happy holiday! Happy Day of Botev and of all those who gave their lives so that we could be free today.

Glory to the heroes! He is alive, he is alive!

Let us bow our heads for a minute of silence – not for death, but for immortality.