Descendants of Thracian Bulgarians should get financial compensation from the state, and officials should give moral recognition for what he called a genocide. That's what Krasimir Premyanov, head of the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria, said in Madzharovo at the National Thracian Pilgrimage, marked as "Day of Thracian Memory."

The debt to Thracian Bulgarians is a debt owed by the Bulgarian state, Premyanov said. Around 1.5 million people are descended from them, he added, and pushing for compensation is a matter of Bulgaria's dignity as a state governed by law.

"We will all do what we can to pass on the suffering and the call of the fallen heroes to the young generation, so they build awareness and put Bulgaria on the map as a leading nation," Premyanov said.

This year marks 113 years since the destruction of the Thracian Bulgarians. In 1913, near Yatadzhik — known today as Madzharovo — more than 2,000 elderly people, women and children were killed.

The deputy governor of Haskovo, Viktor Marev, attended as an official guest and called Madzharovo a monument to sacrifice and to the unbroken drive of a people driven from their homeland to return. "Remembering their courage means we must stay united and take responsibility for Bulgaria's future," Marev said.

Priests from the Stara Zagora diocese held a memorial prayer in front of the Pantheon of fallen Thracians at the memorial complex. Those attending laid wreaths and flowers, and flowers were also placed at the monuments to rebel leaders Dimitar Madzharov, Rusi Slavov and Captain Petko Voyvoda.

An exhibition titled "130 Years of the Organized Thracian Movement in Bulgaria" opened on Madzharovo's main square.

Guests included leaders of the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria and the Thracian Youth Union, Bulgaria's consul in Edirne, Petar Arabadzhiev, local officials from the region and members of Thracian societies from across the country.

The yearly pilgrimage is organized by the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria, the Thracian Scientific Institute and Madzharovo municipality, and marks both the events of 1913 and the 130th anniversary of the organized Thracian movement.