May 24th is the most esteemed Bulgarian holiday. On that date we celebrate the Day of the Bulgarian Education and Culture, and the Slavonic Literature. By celebrating the alphabet we honor the Saints Cyril and Methodius - creators of our alphabet.
The Day of the Saints brothers was celebrated as a religious feast still in XI century but it was celebrated nationwide as a National Culture Day for the first time in 1851 in Plovdiv..
In 855 the brothers created the Glagolitic alphabet -which it is in fact the Cyrillic one and by 862 AD they set out to promote Christianity in the Slavic language in Great Moravia. Cyril died in Italy on 14 February 896 and was buried in the Basilica “St. Clement” in Rome. Methodius continued to disseminate the Slavonic alphabet until his death on 6 April 885. The two brothers were later declared saints and spiritual patrons of Europe.
