May 24 is widely regarded as one of the most meaningful dates in Bulgaria’s national calendar, marking the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture and the Slavonic Alphabet. The holiday is dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius and their disciples, whose work laid the foundations for Slavic literacy and cultural development.
The origins of the celebration go back to the First Bulgarian Empire, where the legacy of Cyril and Methodius was further developed by their students, including Clement of Ohrid, Naum, and Angelarius. While the two brothers created the first Slavic alphabet known as Glagolitic, it was in medieval Bulgaria that their intellectual and spiritual mission was expanded and transformed into what later became the Cyrillic script.
Cyrillic itself emerged in the literary schools of Preslav and Ohrid during the 9th and 10th centuries. It was designed to be more accessible than Glagolitic and allowed the translation of religious texts into the Slavic language. This shift made written communication more widely usable across Slavic-speaking populations and strengthened the cultural independence of the region.
Over time, the Cyrillic alphabet spread far beyond the borders of medieval Bulgaria. It became the writing system for many Slavic nations and is still used today in countries such as Bulgaria, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and North Macedonia, as well as in parts of Central Asia. Its influence also extends into religious tradition, particularly within Orthodox Christianity, where it continues to be used in liturgical texts.
