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Bulgarians turned out en masse on Saturday to honour the legacy of Saint Cyril and Methodius, the founders of the Cyrillic alphabet, during one of their most important cultural and national holidays in the Balkan country.
People gathered to lay flowers at the base of a statue of the two Orthodox Church saints in central Sofia.
The two were born in today’s Greece in the 9th century and are credited with creating Glagolic, an alphabet that was later adapted by multiple scholars across the Balkans and evolved into the Cyrillic alphabet.
“The biggest and most significant gift that the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius left to Bulgaria was writing,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said during the formal ceremony in Sofia.
The mayor of Sofia, who spoke at the ceremony, also reminded the crowd of the influence language holds.
“Let us remember not only what we say but how we say it – words have power. They can unite, they can heal, they can inspire,” Mayor Vasil Teziev said.
St Cyril and Methodius left a legacy that goes beyond the development of the Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabets.
In the Slavic world and Bulgaria alike, their work represents a watershed moment for the Orthodox Church and Balkan cultural heritage.
Sometimes referred to in Bulgaria as “Spiritual Easter,” 11 May and 24 May are now recognised as the “Days of Bulgarian Education and Culture and of the Slavic Alphabet.”
Today, the Cyrillic alphabet is used by Slavic, Turkic, Uralic, Caucasian and other nations, including Mongolia, which adopted it in 1941.
