24 May: Bulgaria celebrates its 9th century geopolitical project

The introduction of the Cyrillic alphabet was not merely cultural – it was state-building

Bulgaria’s most unifying and symbolically rich celebration is 24 May – the Day of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture, and Slavic literature.

This holiday places language, literacy and culture at the heart of national identity, offering a rare example of a state that defines itself through the spread of knowledge. In a region where historical narratives are often contentious, 24 May is both deeply national and profoundly European.

24 May honours the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Byzantine missionaries who, in the 9th century, created the Glagolitic alphabet to make the Christian faith accessible to Slavic peoples. Their disciples, working within the First Bulgarian Empire, later developed the Cyrillic script, which would become one of the most influential writing systems in human history.

This linguistic innovation was not merely cultural – it was state-building. It provided the foundation for law, administration, and literature in Slavic nations and established Bulgaria as a spiritual and educational centre of the medieval Slavic world.

Nowadays Bulgarians are proud to use the Cyrillic alphabet, because it’s the biggest geopolitical project of the then powerful Bulgarian kingdom. It allowed spreading Bulgarian influence across the Slavic world, mostly through the religious writings.

Today, Cyrillic is used by over 250 million people in Europe and Asia. Since Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, the alphabet has held equal standing with Latin and Greek as one of the three official scripts of the EU – a quiet but meaningful recognition of Bulgaria’s historical contribution to European civilization.

Bulgaria brought the Cyrillic script also to the euro notes. Although the country is not yet a member of the Eurozone, the Cyrillic script appeared for the first time on Euro notes in January 2013.

The most stupid mistake foreigners sometimes make in Bulgaria is to ask “when Bulgaria will get rid of the Russian alphabet and adopt Latin script?”. Indeed, some visitors mistakenly associate the Cyrillic script with “Russian alphabet”. It was Russians who took the alphabet from the Bulgarians, not the other way round.

It is not by chance if in the former USSR it was not politically correct to admit that the Russian alphabet came from Bulgaria.

Initially, the project of a Slavic alphabet was commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor, with the aim of preventing the expansion of Judaism and Islam. Instead, it aimed at evangelizing the Slavic world, up to where the Czech Republic is today.

Bulgarians know that the two brothers, born in Thessaloniki, created the Glagolitic alphabet with the aim to have the Bible and other texts translated into Slavic languages. Meanwhile, the Bulgarian king Boris I saw the adoption of the old Slavonic language as a way to preserve his country from Byzantine influence. He created schools where thousands of disciples were taught in the Slavonic language and the new alphabet. The reign of Boris I from 852 to 889 was also marked by the Christianisation of Bulgarians.

But what is called Slavonic language was in fact Bulgarian, now called Old Bulgarian, but still understandable for Bulgarians. If one goes to Moscow and attends a church service, the language they speak is not Russian – it’s old Slavonic, which is in fact old Bulgarian.

The former USSR brought Cyrillic to a number of non-Slavic nations.

Bulgaria’s ‘aspiration to immortality’

“The vitality of nations is often rooted in their quest for immortality. Some seek it through demographic expansion, others by nurturing a sense of superiority, and still others through a relentless pursuit of material wealth. For some, the path lies in territorial expansion and domination over others”, Tsveta Brestnichka, writer and civic activist, told EUalive.

Bulgaria’s pursuit of immortality, however, is found elsewhere, she added – in the word, the script, the culture. Even in times when it seems the grey foam of daily struggle has washed away our books, theatres, music and paintings, leaving only the bared teeth of survival; even when technology and artificial intelligence appear to be methodically swallowing our humanity and confronting us with the unknowns of tomorrow; even when we lose faith in our own future – we still have the anthem “March on, revived people!”

It is no coincidence that the national hymn to letters stirs something deep when we hear it. In its verses echoes the fragile hope of a sprout rising above the mud. It resounds with the triumph of spirit over decay. It is Bulgaria’s defiance of oblivion.

“Culture is our refuge from death. And every year on 24 May, Bulgaria is reborn”, Brestnichka says.

Caption: The monument of Saints Cyril and Methodius in front of the National Library in Sofia, website of the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria.