International holidays - Day of Slavic Literature and Culture, Cyril and Methodius Day

The Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is celebrated annually on May 24 The origin of the holiday is inseparably linked with the memory of the creators of the Cyrillic alphabet - the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius Cyril and Methodius were born into a noble and pious family that lived in Thessaloniki (now Thessaloniki) The elder brother Methodius chose a military career, served in a Slavic principality dependent on the Byzantine Empire, where he learned the local language After 10 years of service, he became a monk and then became abbot of a monastery in Bithynia From an early age, Cyril was interested in science, studied languages, and communicated with prominent personalities of the time, such as the Byzantine chronicler Leon Grammatikos and Patriarch Photios After completing his studies, he received the rank of priest, taught philosophy in Constantinople, and later moved to Methodius’s monastery, where he prayed and read a lot The reason for the creation of a new written language was the request of the Moravian prince Rostislav to send teachers to him so that they could preach in the native language of his subjects These were times when the Slavic peoples were just emerging onto the historical stage and needed convincing sermons and public worship In 863, the brothers began to create a new alphabet They significantly change the Greek alphabet and try to more accurately convey Slavic sounds Using new writing, they translate books, texts from the Gospel, psalters, and chants for liturgies As soon as the word of God sounded in the Slavic language, the need for local clergy immediately arose, so the most worthy were prepared for ordination Listening to the texts of the Holy Scriptures in their native language, people began to accept Christianity, and with it writing Having inherited their own alphabet, the culture and spirituality of the Slavic countries experienced an unprecedented rise The Orthodox Church deeply honors the memory of the brothers Already in the 11th century The day of May 11 (May 24 according to the Gregorian calendar) is declared the day of remembrance of Saints Cyril and Methodius, and later, when science and enlightenment flourished, this day became the holiday of Slavic writing In Rus', the custom of remembering Cyril and Methodius developed a long time ago, but at the state level the holiday was approved only in 1863, almost 1000 years after the introduction of the Cyrillic alphabet In Soviet times, it was completely forgotten, but on May 24, 1986, several events dedicated to the Day of Writing were held in Murmansk, and the following year it was celebrated in Kyiv, Minsk and Novgorod In 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR legalized the holiday as the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture Now in Russia the holiday is celebrated by both the church and the secular community Along with memorable services, processions and pilgrimages to monasteries, exhibitions, presentations, literary readings, competitions and festive concerts are organized This holiday is a reason for joy and pride in their national culture, both for believers and convinced atheists in many countries