Day of Hristo Botev in Bulgaria Date in the current year: June 2, 2024

Hristo Botev was born on January 6, 1848 in Kalofer. His father, a teacher and one of the most significant figures in the late period of the Bulgarian National Revival, sent him to a high school in Odessa (modern Ukraine). There Hristo was very impressed by the works of liberal Russian poets and wrote his first poetic works. Upon his return to Kalofer, Hristo made a public speech against the Ottoman Empire and the wealthy Bulgarians, which resulted in him being forced to leave Bulgaria for Romania.

Botev greatly influenced Bulgarian revolutioniaries and became the editor of the newspaper entitled World of the Bulgarian Emigrants. He closely collaborated with Russian revolutioniaries and worked for the Russian newspaper Svoboda (Liberty).

Hristo Botev was killed on June 1, 1876 during the April Uprising. After his death, his followers suffered a morale drop and began to disperse.

Botevs death anniversary was proclaimed a memorial day in 1885 (since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in Bulgaria, it has been celebrated on June 2 instead of June 1 due to a calendar discrepancy). Every year exactly at noon on June 2, air raid sirens sound across the country for a minute, honoring Hristo Botev and all people who died for the freedom of Bulgaria. People stand still for 2-3 minutes until the sirens stop.