site.btaSeptember 17 – Sofia Day First Marked Officially in 1992

On 17 September, Sofia marks its official holiday, Sofia Day. The date coincides with the feast of the Holy Martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love in the Orthodox Christian calendar. According to Sofia Municipality’s official website, the city takes its name from the ancient Basilica of Saint Sophia, one of the oldest functioning churches in Europe and a significant architectural monument of the early Christian era.

Sofia Day has been observed since 25 March 1992, when the Municipal Council adopted a resolution officially designating 17 September as the city’s holiday. The date honours both the city’s spiritual heritage and its historical roots.

Under the Regulation on the Symbols and Honours of Sofia Municipality, adopted in 2007, the occasion is celebrated with a ceremonial session of the Municipal Council, during which the municipality’s highest honours and awards are presented.

The decision to institute Sofia’s holiday is recorded in the BTA Home News Bulletin:

Sofia, March 25, 1992 /BTA/

September 17, the day of the Holy Martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love, according to the Orthodox calendar, will be the day of the capital, the municipal councillors decided today.

The proposal of the Tel Aviv city government for twinning with Sofia was also accepted by the municipal councillors. An agreement for cooperation in culture, tourism, sports, science and the economy between the two municipalities is to be signed by the mayors of the two cities, Alexander Yanchulev and Shlomo Lahat.

The first Sofia Day celebration in 1992 drew strong public interest. A moment of tension arose during the blessing of the new city flag, owing to the then-ongoing church schism, which had divided the clergy and affected the ceremony.

Sofia, September 17, 1992 /BTA/

The celebration began with a solemn blessing marking the renaming of the Georgi Kirkov Hall in the former Party House to Saint Sophia Hall, in honour of both Divine Wisdom (Sophia) and the basilica from which the city takes its name.

“This is a step toward fulfilling one of the main goals of our cultural policy, to revive our people's religious and cultural traditions,” Minister of Culture Prof. Elka Konstantinova said at the ceremony. “Thus, historically and spatially, the name of the hall will express the connection with the heart of the city, with the two early Christian churches, the traces of which were erased during the construction of the Party House, with the Basilica of Saint Sophia and with the centre of the capital,” Konstantinova added. She expressed hope that the hall would become a temple of Bulgarian culture.

The new city flag of Sofia was blessed in a ceremonial service held in front of the Saint Sophia Church, officiated by priests from 34 churches across the capital.

“On the first Christian celebration of our capital, we bless Sofia’s new flag, blue like the sky above us, a symbol of freedom, democracy and united Europe, of which we are now a part,” Mayor Prof. Alexander Yanchulev said.

To the sound of the national anthem, the Bulgarian flag, the flag of Sofia and the flag of the Council of Europe were raised in front of the Basilica of Saint Sophia.

The celebration continued with outdoor festivities in front of the National Palace of Culture (NDK) and by Ariana Lake, culminating in a gala concert in Hall 1 of the NDK featuring soloists, the choir and orchestra of the Sofia Opera, the Filip Kutev Ensemble and pop performers.

Although the official date had passed, celebrations continued in various districts of the city with cultural programmes and events through 20 September.