"By the will of the unforgettable Tsar Liberator, the great fraternal Russian people supported by our good neighbors, the subjects of His Majesty the King of Romania, and by the brave Bulgarians on February 19 1878 shattered the chains of oppression that for centuries shackled Bulgaria, once so great and so glorious. From then until today, for thirty years, the Bulgarian people, steadfastly loyal to the memory of the national fighters for their freedom and animated by their covenants, tirelessly works for the settlement of their beautiful land ... a country worthy of being an equal member in the family of civilized nations ". Thus began the Manifesto to the Bulgarian people with which on September 22, 1908 in the town of Veliko Tarnovo, Prince Ferdinand declared Bulgaria's independence.

Today, with celebrations across the country we note the 106^th anniversary of this independence. The center of the festivities is the town of Veliko Tarnovo. The celebration there began with a liturgy and a ceremony of blessing the battle flags at the medieval church of the Forty Holy Martyrs. After the service in the temple, the festival continued at Tsarevets fortress. To the sound of the national anthem, Bulgaria’s national flag was hoisted as 300 balloons with the colors of the national flag flew in the sky.

In Sofia residents and guests of the capital laid wreaths and flowers at the Monument to Independence at Independence Square.