Do Bulgarians celebrate Europe Day or Victory Day on May 9?

published on 5/9/25 12:28 PM

Photo: BGNES

Europe Day or Victory Day? May 8th or May 9th? It is not that we do not constantly encounter socially divisive topics, and the current date – May 9th celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 in World War II also causes debates in Bulgaria year after year.

It should be noted that even the day on which the holiday should be celebrated is a subject of dispute. In Western countries that participated in the victory over Nazi Germany, the holiday is celebrated on May 8th, while in the post-Soviet space it is traditionally celebrated on May 9th.

Wilhelm Keitel signs the surrender of Germany ‎

The reason – the time difference, as well as for pure formality – the surrender of the Reich was signed twice, at the insistence of the Soviet side. May 9 is also celebrated as Europe Day - on this date, the Schuman Declaration was symbolically signed in 1950, laying the foundations for the European Coal and Steel Community, which later grew into today's European Union.

"May 9 is one of the dates on which World War II ended, as on May 8 the capitulation of Germany with the Western countries was signed, with a Soviet representative also participating in this signing. On the next day (May 9) it was signed first by the Soviet representative. But just as the war did not begin on September 1, 1939, when it began only in Europe, in the same way it did not end on May 9, 1949, but ended later after the victory over Japan," historian Prof. Ivan Ilchev, former rector of Sofia University, says, providing the historical context. ‎

‎"May 9th bears the fateful sign of an aggressive ideology, action, behavior and repression. So when we talk about May 9th, we are not talking about a solemn holiday, but rather about the end of a dark period in European history. When Europe was almost entirely under the scepter of the German Reich and Hitler's idea of a united Europe", ‎Professor Andrey Pantev, historian, academician of the Plato World Academy, as well as a former long-time member of parliament, presents his view on the date. ‎

And he adds: "The salvation of Europe is due to a today reviled army": ‎

‎"It broke the skull of fascism by 75% and led to the establishment of another political and social order, which was nevertheless salvific for Europe. Is this date Victory Day or Europe Day? Both. ‎Because the victory of the Red Army created the prerequisites for this Europe outside of Nazism, outside of Hitlerism, with its own government, ‎institutions. Even though some of them remained hostile to this country, which contributed so much to the defeat of Nazism."‎

Prof. Ivan Ilchev, however, claims: "Who celebrates Victory Day on May 9, besides the Soviet Union, present-day Russia, and some recently joined countries seeking political gain?".

In the end, however, the former rector of Sofia University emphasizes that the fact that society is divided on this issue is not something negative.

"There is nothing wrong with the fact that Bulgarians are divided on this issue, it means that they think. If they think in the same way, this is already very dangerous. Why should we oppose the two? They can easily coexist, let it be both Europe Day and Victory Day."

And is society divided on the issue?

According to Elena, whom we meet in the center of the capital Sofia, Europe Day is more important. Yes, important, but not that much.

"For me, May 9 is Europe Day. But I love the holidays before that more. Like May 6, St. George's Day - the Day of the Bulgarian Army, of courage."

For Alexander, who works in the IT field, the date signifies "the victory of communism".

"The day of the victory of communism, which must stop. And it's not over yet," the young man notes.

Nedyalko, on the other hand, is a pensioner who worked in the printing industry for many years. For him, the holiday is as much Europe Day as it is Victory Day.

"For me, this date is about both things - about Europe and about liberation from fascism," he shares his views. ‎

But just as he started to speak, he was interrupted by his wife Svetla: ‎

‎"I think it's Europe Day, the day of the bankrupt Hitler, whom the Union, the Soviet Union, defeated."‎

Vasil, on the other hand, is a young man who studied in the United States and spent over 10 years overseas. He currently has his own business in Bulgaria. He is categorical:‎

‎"For me, May 9 is definitely Europe Day, not Victory Day. After the Second World War, one of the most successful peace projects is the European Union." ‎

So what is the conclusion from our improvised survey? There are as many opinions as there are Bulgarians. And although, without a doubt, each of us has an opinion on every issue, let us wish ourselves – to find more and more reasons for unification, not for division.

Photos: Ivan Gergov, BNR, BTA, time.com, peoplesworld.org, Wikimedia Commons

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Do Bulgarians celebrate Europe Day or Victory Day on May 9?

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