Memory of Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril, teacher of Slovenia

The day of remembrance of St Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril, the Slovenian teacher, is celebrated on February 27 It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the activity of this saint for all Slavic peoples, because he was responsible for the invention of the alphabet and the translation of liturgical books Equal to the Apostles Cyril (worldly name Constantine) was born in Thessaloniki in 827 into the family of a well-born but disgraced commander Orphaned at the age of 12, Constantine came under the tutelage of a significant Byzantine official and received an excellent education from the best teachers in Constantinople The young man was distinguished by his extensive knowledge in many areas, especially distinguished himself in the study of foreign languages, for which he received the nickname Philosopher Teachers and close people prophesied a brilliant career for him, and his guardian gives his blessing for Konstantin’s betrothal to his goddaughter But the young man increasingly recalled his childhood dream, where he chose a bride named Sophia, that is, Wisdom Knowledge and wisdom were so desirable for Constantine that he decided to neglect the benefits of worldly life and retired to one of the Black Sea monasteries After some time, the Philosopher was returned to the capital, where he began teaching and missionary work, in which he achieved great success After the murder of his guardian, Constantine and his disciples find refuge within the monastery walls, the abbot of which was his brother Methodius The brothers preach Christianity to different nations, converting the Bulgarians, Scythians and Khazar nomads to the faith of Christ In 862, Constantine and Methodius were sent to the Moravian lands to explain Christian tenets in the local language In Moravia, the Solunsky brothers introduced the Slavic alphabet over the course of three years, translated the Bible into Slavic, and taught Moravians to read and write in their native language But not everyone was happy with the activities of the learned brothers In the highest spiritual circles there was an opinion that theological texts could only be spoken in three languages: Hebrew, Latin and Greek Therefore, in Rome, Constantine and Methodius were considered heretics, and they were ordered to confess to the Pope On the way to Rome, the brothers became educators in another Slavic state - Pannonia, where they introduced worship in the Slavic language Upon arrival in Rome, the inventors of the Slavic alphabet managed to convince the Pope of the correctness of their activities, but the victory was overshadowed by the state of Constantine’s health, undermined by a long, exciting journey 50 days before his death, the saint becomes a monk, taking the name Cyril Under this name he gained eternal glory as an equal-to-the-apostles enlightener The last words addressed to his brother called on Methodius to continue their difficult work In folk tradition, St Cyril's day was associated with the agricultural cult It was considered very favorable for the future harvest to keep the snow on the beds; for this purpose it was first trampled down Kirill was also called the indicator of summer weather Severe frosts foreshadowed a sultry August Sunny weather warned of the coming of frost, and the loud chirping of tits warned of imminent warmth