Today Bulgaria Celebrates Cyril and Methodius Day

On May 11 Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius. The holiday marks its beginning during the Bulgarian Revival and is associated with the school celebrations that were organized on this day. Then came the idea for a holiday anthem, which in 1892 Stoyan Mihajlovski wrote in Ruse.

Thus appeared the text of "Varvi Narode Vuzrodeni" (Go You People Revived) and in May 1901 the teacher from the Fifth Grade School in Lovech Panayot Pipkov wrote the music.

 In the old Bulgarian manuscripts, preserved to this day, the memory of the Holy Brothers was marked on different days - February 14 for St. Cyril and April 6 for St. Methodius.

 For their common holiday - May 11, the earliest preserved memory is from the XII century.

 May 11 is celebrated as a church holiday of the Holy Brothers, while May 24 is established as a holiday of Bulgarian education and Slavic culture.

Methodius, the older brother, left an enviable legacy of translated and original books, although he was subjected to constant persecution and hostility by German clergy.

 He also prepared about 200 students for priests to preach the Christian faith in the Slavic language.

Constantine the younger brother is the secular name of the seventh child of Leo and Mary. He adopted the monastic name Cyril 50 days before his death. He was educated at the famous Magnaur School, where his teachers were Patriarch Photius and Leo the Grammarian. He also received the title of "philosopher" for his exceptional intellectual skills.

 The two brothers were the creators and distributors of the first Slavic alphabet - the Holy Brothers Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher and Methodius were canonized as saints for the translation...