The Neuilly dictate and the transformation of the official festive-ritual system of the Kingdom of Bulgaria 1919 – 1944

THE NEUILLY DICTATE AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE OFFICIAL FESTIVE-RITUAL SYSTEM OF THE KINGDOM OF BULGARIA 1919 – 1944 

Prof. Svetlozar Eldarov, DSc

 (Abstract)

 The Neuilly Treaty, imposed on Bulgaria by the victors in World War I, was signed on November 27, 1919. This date coincides with the public holiday of the Bulgarian army – the Bulgaria Victory Day, which celebrates the Bulgarian victories in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885. At the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century it was celebrated on the 15th of November according to the Julian calendar, which was then official for Bulgaria. After the country adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1916, the holiday shifted to November 27. During the First World War it was established as one of the most special Bulgarian holidays and celebrated with military parades, church services and civil celebrations, including in Macedonia and Pomoravia. The article provides evidence that the signing of the Neuilly dictate on the date of the Bulgarian Victory Day was not an accidental coincidence, but a deliberate and sought-after trampling of Bulgarian national dignity in general and of Bulgarian martial glory in particular.