From the liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878 until 1964, Bulgaria changed its national anthem on several occasions. During the Third Bulgarian Kingdom, Shumi Maritsa (Maritsa Rushes) served as both a national and palace anthem. It was played for the last time on 1 January 1947. From 1947 until 1950, the national anthem was the song Our Republic Rejoice. In 1949 Elissaveta Bagryana, Nikola Fournadjiev and Mladen Isaev started writing the lyrics for the new anthem, Bulgario Mila (Dear Bulgaria). The assignment was to accentuate the struggles of Bulgarians for freedom and the respect for all who died for that cause. Work on the lyrics and music continued until 1950 and the anthem was ready for presentation in 1951.

Dear Bulgaria, land of heroes

Moving ahead with power and endurance

Let our combat union be strong forever

With our great Soviet brother!

Refrain:

Glory to our free republic!

Be a relentless guardian of peace!

When enemies raid on our land

Lead us to our victory!

The great sun of Lenin and Stalin

Lighted our road with its rays

Dimitrov lighted our hearts for exploits

Uniting us in battles and peaceful work

We build factories and open mines

Together the fields we plough

For our precious, marvellous motherland

We are ready to work and die!

Ten years on, because of obvious closeness of both the lyrics and music to the Soviet anthem, poet Georgi Djagarov suggested promoting Mila Rodino (Dear Motherland) as Bulgaria's new national anthem. This officially took place in 1964. The music and lyrics are part of the song Proud Balkan Mountains written by Svishtov-born Tsvetan Radoslavov in 1885, as he travelled to the battle fields of the Serbo-Bulgarian War. The lyrics were altered many times and here is the version used prior to 1990.

Proud Balkan Mountains

Next to it the Danube sparkles

The sun shines over Thrace

And blazes over Pirin.

Refrain: (twice)

Dear Motherland

You are heaven on earth

Your beauty, your loveliness

Ah, they are boundless.

Countless fighters died

For our beloved people

Mother, give us manly strength

To continue their path.

Together, Bulgarian brothers!

Moscow is with us in peace and war!

A great Party leads

Our victorious society.

The commission in charge of approving Dear Motherland included renowned composer Petko Staynov. He criticized the choice of the song because he argued its melody was Jewish. For this stance Staynov was expelled from the commission. Foremost composer Dobry Christov however defended the song saying that melodies of other songs too had been borrowed from foreign songs but they had still become part of the Bulgarian music heritage. The anthem was made official by way of a decree of the National Assembly on 8 September 1964 and was performed for the first time on the then chief national day, 9 September.

Bulgaria is the only country from the Soviet Bloc who was explicit about its satellite status to the Soviet Union through a stanza mentioning Moscow. In the aftermath of 1989 during debates on the country's new constitution there were a few suggestions for a new national anthem. One option was to go back to Shumi Maritsa, or to promote Vurvi Narode Vuzrodeni (March on, People Reborn, dedicated to the 9 c. fathers of the Slavonic alphabet, the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius). However Mila Rodino (Dear Motherland) was finally left to serve as an anthem after the stanzas mentioning Moscow were removed.

English Daniela Konstantinova