National Symbols, Holidays, and Cultural Heritage
Symbols
The national flag is a horizontal tricolour of white, green, and red. The coat of arms shows a golden lion rampant on a dark red shield, crowned, with two lions supporting it and a crown above, and the motto 'Съединението прави силата' (Unity makes strength). The national anthem is 'Mila Rodino' (Dear Motherland). The national symbol par excellence is the lion, and the Cyrillic alphabet is celebrated on 24 May.
Holidays
Fixed public holidays include: 1 January (New Year), 3 March (Liberation Day, the national day, marking the 1878 Treaty of San Stefano), 1 May (Labour Day), 6 May (St George's Day, the Day of the Bulgarian Army), 24 May (Day of the Bulgarian Education and Culture and of the Slavonic Alphabet), 6 September (Unification Day), 22 September (Independence Day), 1 November (Day of the Leaders of the Bulgarian National Revival), 24–26 December (Christmas), and Easter according to the Orthodox calendar. 9 May is Europe Day. 18 February is the day of the national hero Vasil Levski.
Cultural heritage
UNESCO World Heritage sites include the Rila Monastery, the Boyana Church, the Thracian tomb of Kazanlak, the Thracian tomb of Sveshtari, the rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo, the Madara Rider, the old town of Nessebar, the Pirin National Park, and the Srebarna Nature Reserve. The Madara Rider is a rock relief associated with the First Bulgarian Empire. Folk traditions include the Nestinari fire-dance, kukeri, and the Martenitsa (1 March).
Traps and rule of thumb
Traps: dating the national day to 1878 but attributing it to the wrong treaty (it is San Stefano, not Berlin); confusing 3 March with 6 September; and mixing the anthem with a folk song. Rule of thumb: link each date to one event - 3 March Liberation, 6 September Unification, 22 September Independence, 24 May alphabet.