site.btaBTA Presents LIK Magazine's May Issue Featuring Saints Cyril and Methodius Day, Musicautor's Candlelight Initiative

The May issue of BTA’s LIK magazine, titled The Bulgarian Candlelight, was presented at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia on Saturday. The issue is dedicated to the 170th birth anniversary of Bulgarian writer, poet, satirist and public figure Stoyan Mihaylovski, as well as to the 175th anniversary of the first celebration of the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and of Slav Letters. One of the highlights in the issue is the Svetilnik (Candlelight) initiative, organized by Musicautor to encourage the creation of original school hymns.

Addressing the presentation, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said that the national anthem teaches people to be grateful by glorifying not oneself but others, and one cannot see a face without light. He said that the issue was presented on a date different from May 24 in order to highlight the contribution of the Musicautor organization. Valchev noted that nine new school hymns have been created under Musicautor’s Svetilnik initiative this year, while a total of 40 school hymns have been produced over the past five years. Students from Georgi Sava Rakovski Bolhrad High School also attended the presentation, with Valchev pointing out that this is the first time a school outside Bulgaria has received a donated hymn. He explained that the preparation of this issue of LIK was guided by four anniversaries: the 175th anniversary of the first celebration of May 24 as the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius; the 170th anniversary of the birth of Bulgarian writer, poet, satirist, and public figure Stoyan Mihaylovski; the 155th anniversary of the birth of Bulgarian composer Panayot Pipkov; and the 125th anniversary of both the musical setting of Mihaylovski’s poem and the first performance of "Varvi, narode vazrodeni" (Advance, Revived Bulgarian People). Valchev also said that this year marks 120 years since the first publication included in the magazine’s chronological section, which dates back to 1906 and recalls a divine liturgy held at the Church of St Stephen in Tsarigrad (Istanbul) on the occasion of the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. 

Education and Science Minister Prof. Georgi Valchev said that the creation of school hymns is an extremely important initiative that becomes part of the identity of Bulgarian students and connects generations through music and their sense of belonging to their school. According to him, the heart of every student who has attended a school with its own hymn "continues to resonate in the years ahead," with the melody connecting generations of students regardless of whether they know each other personally. Valchev further emphasized the importance of education as a value rooted in the Bulgarian National Revival period. He said that the revivalists made a choice that continues to shape the country's identity today. He stressed that Bulgaria holds a historical contribution to the Slavic world by providing it with culture and written language, and that the country continues to uphold this message today.

Musicautor Executive Director Ivan Dimitrov said that the Svetilnik (Candlelight) initiative has reached more than 31,000 children in over 20 cities across Bulgaria, as well as, for the first time, a city that is also considered Bulgarian in its own way, although located on the territory of Bolhrad, Ukraine. Dimitrov stressed that more than 200 students from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) have participated in the creation of the school hymns. He voiced satisfaction with the initiative, saying it helps encourage and support cooperation across all levels of education, as the hymns are created for pupils in primary and secondary education with the involvement of NATFA students. He added that the participation of all public media and institutions, including the Education and Science Ministry, would further expand the initiative’s reach and allow it to engage even more children.

BTA's LIK magazine Editor-in-Chief Prof. Georgi Lozanov said that hymns are a key voice in Bulgarian culture and a lesson in patriotism, while the May issue of LIK magazine is particularly important because it fulfils the publication’s mission to preserve cultural memory and build bridges between generations. Lozanov explained that the mission of LIK magazine in the third stage of its development is to connect generations so that important facts, figures, events and trends in Bulgarian culture are not forgotten. He noted that, in addition to recalling overlooked facts, the magazine also has another task – to draw attention to phenomena that people have begun to take for granted as part of everyday protocol. The editor-in-chief said that school hymn Varvi, narode vazrodeni (Advance, Revived Bulgarian People) teaches patriotism to Bulgarian pupils from an early age even if they are not consciously aware of it while singing it. He added that this hymn has protected generations of pupils from various ideological attempts to reshape their thinking through education.

Since January 2024, BTA's literature, art and culture periodical has been freely accessible. All LIK issues since its relaunch in 2022 can be downloaded in electronic format from BTA's website.