The formation and first developments of Bulgarian folklore are closely related to the “national Rebirth.” Until the independence of Bulgaria in 1878, most folklorists – teachers, writers and publishers – militated in favour of religious and political freedom and of the creation of Bulgarian schools. It was a period of discovery and collecting. Attempts at interpretation followed later in the last quarter of the century. After the independence, the creation of institutions such as the University of Sofia, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Ethnographical Museum of Sofia established the scientific bases of folklore studies.