On 9 July Bulgaria celebrates the 173rd anniversary of the birth of Ivan Vazov, acclaimed as the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature.  Dozens of citizens and representatives of the Writers' Union, the National Literary Museum, the Ivan Vazov House-Museum in the capital laid wreaths and flowers at a solemn ceremony in front of the monument to Ivan Vazov in the St. Sofia Cathedral.

The poet himself described his work by saying, "I have sung for Bulgaria because I loved it; I have instilled in young souls faith and affection for their country because I was a son of Bulgaria; I have glorified its divinely beautiful nature because I was fascinated by it; I have sung of its ideals because they were sacred," "I have given all I could give to my country. It was little, but that was all I had."

In front of the National Theatre named after Vazov, poems by the poet were read.