Saints Cyril and Methodius Day

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Saints Cyril and Methodius, together with the Cyrillic alphabet.
Saints Cyril and Methodius, together with the Cyrillic alphabet.

Saints Cyril and Methodius Day is a holiday, usually celebrated on 24 May in countries which observe Eastern Orthodox tradition, and on 5 July in countries that observe Roman Catholic tradition. It commemorates the creation of the Slavic Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets by the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius. (There is evidence that the Cyrillic alphabet was not created by Cyril and Methodius but by their pupil, Clement of Ohrid, but the alphabet bears Cyril's name nonetheless, and the evidence is still not enough to disprove that.) The celebration also commemorates the introduction of literacy and the preaching of the gospels in the Slavonic language by the brothers.

According to old Bulgarian chronicles, the day of the holy brothers used to be celebrated ecclesiastically as early as XI Century. The first recorded secular celebration of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Day as the "Day of the Bulgarian script" was held in the Bulgarian town of Shumen on May 22, 1803.

Nowadays, the day is celebrated as a public holiday in the following countries:

  • In Bulgaria it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day (Bulgarian: Ден на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост), a national holiday celebrating Bulgarian culture and literature as well as the alphabet. It is also known as Alphabet, Culture, and Education Day (Bulgarian: Ден на азбуката, културата и просвещението).
  • In the Republic of Macedonia, it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the Macedonian Literature and Culture Day (Macedonian: Ден на македонската писменост и култура), a national holiday celebrating Slavic Macedonian culture and literature as well as the alphabet. It is also known as the day of the "Solun Brothers" (Slavic Macedonian: Солунски браќа).
  • In the Czech Republic it is celebrated on 5 July as Slavic Missionaries Cyril and Methodius Day (Czech: Den slovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a Metoděje).
  • In Russia, it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the Slavonic Literature and Culture Day (Russian: День славянской письменности и культуры), celebrating Slavonic culture and literature as well as the alphabet. Its celebration is ecclesiastical, and it is not a public holiday in Russia.
  • In Slovakia it is celebrated on 5 July as St. Cyril and Metod Day. (Slovak: Sviatok svätého Cyrila a Metoda)

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