Tsarevo, a seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria in the Burgas Province. Our readers are already familiar with the area, as the destination for the UNESCO-listed Nestinarstvo fire-walking festival held in Bulgari (sometimes spelled Balgari) we reported about a while back. This week, the town celebrates the Day of Thrace on March 23. Day of Thrace is usually marked March 26 to commemorate the greatest victory of the Bulgarian army during the Balkan War in 1913 at Adrianople.
The Day of Thrace marks 104 years since the capture of Edirne (Adrianople) on 26 March 1913, the Bulgarian victory that marked the end of the Siege of Adrianople. The celebration is significant for local residents of Thracian descent, as it commemorates both Bulgarian warriors who fell to protect Edirne, as well as Thracian refugees whose blood feeds the Thracian fields in this municipality.
Visitors to Tsarevo this March 23rd can join in the commemoration which sees local authorities and residents laying wreaths of flowers at the monument to Georgi Kondolow, Bulgarian revolutionary and freedom fighter, one of the leaders of the Ilinden Preobrazcheny insurrection that led to the freedom of Edirne.
Besides a celebration that attracts local interest, Tsarevo will also mark the Ressurection of Our Lord Jesus with “Easter for everyone – donate celebration of grandparents,” – a charity that hopes to support Bulgarian pensioners, traditionally the most disadvantaged members of the society. More details about this event, in Bulgarian, here.