Bulgarian University Students Celebrate the “Student Day” on December 8

Bulgarian university students celebrate their holiday today. In 1897 the Minister of Education Prof. Ivan Shishmanov raised the issue related to the fact that the first School for Higher Education in Bulgaria should have "a special holiday." At its meeting on November 2, 1902, the Academic Council of the Higher School determined the day of the saint and educator - Kliment Ohridski - November 25 (December 8 in a new style), for its holiday.

The students celebrated it for the first time in 1903 in the hall of the community center "Slavyanska Beseda" in Sofia. In 1905, in the Regulations of the Higher School, which was then called Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", the text was written for the first time that November 25 is a patron saint's day of the university.

Since 1916, as a result of the official introduction of the Gregorian calendar in Bulgaria, the annual university holiday has been moved 13 days forward and began to be celebrated on December 8. Thus, over the years, the oldest and most prestigious university in Bulgaria - Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", created and approved December 8 as a symbolic date of the university holiday.

The celebration of December 8 was abolished after 1944 and was replaced by November 17, the International Day of Student Solidarity. In 1962, the high school holiday on December 8 was restored. After 1968, when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church returned the old style to the Julian calendar, the day of St. Kliment Ohridski becomes again on November 25. The Academic Council of Sofia University decided to separate the patron saint's day of the university from the general one on December 8 and set November 25 as its official holiday. This is the day of the patron of the university - St. Clement, who is the Archbishop of Ohrid.

During the years, December 8 remains a secular date and continues to unite Bulgarian university students with their extremely popular holiday. December 8 was officially declared a non-school day and a holiday for all Bulgarian students at a meeting of the Council of Rectors on October 28, 1994.

/BTA

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