&quotMila Rodino&quot (Bulgarian: Мила Родино, &quotDear Motherland&quot) is the national anthem of Bulgaria. The song was created by the composer Tsvetan Radoslavov in 1885 after his participation in the Serbo-Bulgarian War. He was inspired to create the song based on his poems when he saw Serbian students singing their own patriotic song on their journey home. It was first printed in 1895 in Part-I of &quotMusic Textbook&quot by K. Mahan. &quotZdravey!&quot. The anthem was adopted in 1964. The text has been changed many times, most recently in 1990. On 12 July 1991 the anthem was shortened to its first verse along with the chorus. Between 1886 and 1947, the Bulgarian national anthem was &quotShumi Maritsa&quot from 1951 to 1964, it was &quotBalgariyo mila, zemya na geroi&quot in the brief period between these two, it was the march &quotRepubliko nasha&quot.
In 1964, before the affirmation of &quotMila Rodino&quot as the national anthem, the decision met resistance from Petko Staynov. Staynov argued that the melody is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin and this makes the song not suitable for being the anthem of Bulgaria. Dobri Hristov counters the argument, stating that there are hundreds of melodies in Bulgarian songs which are borrowed from other people and thus became an integral part of the Bulgarian musical heritage.

This statement led Staynov being removed from the committee for the new anthem by Todor Zhivkov. Proposals for a new anthem. During the discussion for the new constitution of Bulgaria in the 7th Grand National Assembly, there are some proposals submitted for a new anthem. The proposals include &quotShumi Maritsa&quot—the Bulgarian national anthem from 1886 to 1947, and &quotVarvi, narode vazrodeni&quot—the anthem of the Bulgarian education. The most recent one was the petition by writer Nikola Indzhov to change the anthem of Bulgaria to &quotVarvi, narode vazrodeni&quot.