On May 11, the Bulgarian people honor the holy co-apostles and educators Cyril and Methodius.
This day was established during the Renaissance as an important day in the holiday system of the Bulgarians – a day in honor of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius – creators and spreaders of the first Slavic alphabet – the Glagolitic alphabet.
They are canonized as saints for the translation and popularization of the Bible in the Old Slavonic language and for spreading Christianity among the Slavs.
They were declared co-patrons of Europe together with St. Benedict by Pope John Paul II. On May 11, Kiril, Kirilka, Kiro, Kircho, Metodi, Metodii celebrate their name day.
The secular holiday for St. St. Cyril and Methodius, which developed further as a specific Bulgarian phenomenon, marks its beginning during the Renaissance and is connected with the school celebrations that were organized on May 11, when the Church celebrates the feast of the two holy brothers.
The first notices of the celebration of Cyril and Methodius on May 11 in our revival literature can be found in the “Christomatiya slavskogo yazaka” from 1852 by Neofit Rilski.
In 1857, the day of the holy brothers was honored in the Bulgarian church “St. Stephen” in Constantinople, together with a service for St. Ivan Rilski.
From the pages of Tsarigradski Vestnik of April 26, 1858, the awake citizens of Eskizaar learned that in Plovdiv and other cities the Bulgarians began to celebrate instead of “Three Saints” “St. Cyril and Methodius” as a school holiday.
At the same time, h. G. Slavov brought from Constantinople a “minenik – service” for the holy brothers, composed by Archimandrite Neophyte of Rila in the Church Slavonic language.
On May 11, 1858, this day was also celebrated in Stara Zagora (Gogava Eski Zagra) on the idea of the teacher S. P. Ivanov with a “divine service” and an exciting speech about the life and work of Cyril and Methodius.
In the note in Tsarigradski vestnik, no. 382, June 7, 1858, we read: “Here, Bulgarian national teachers and educators accepted themselves as patrons of all our small and large schools.”
Later, one of the churches in the city – “St. Dimitar” acquired a second patronymic name “St. St. Cyril and Methodius”. Judging by the text preserved at the southern entrance, this happened no later than 1859.
Since 1863, May 11 has been established as a church holiday of the holy co-apostles Cyril and Methodius.
After the Liberation, May 11 became a general school holiday for Slavic primary teachers. Then the idea of an anthem was born.
In 1892 in Ruse, Stoyan Mihailovski, then a teacher at the Boys’ Gymnasium, wrote “Go people reborn”. In May 1901 Panayot Pipkov, the teacher from the Fifth Grade Hunting School, wrote the music for the lyrics.
After the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1916, the holiday, celebrated by the state and the Church, is already celebrated on one day – only on May 24. After 1969, artificial secularization took place by separating the church from the secular calendar, so today we already have two holidays – church (May 11) and secular (May 24).
In the years of increased interest in our historical past and rediscovery of important moments related to the periods of the rise of the Bulgarian state, our Vizrozhdenians devote a worthy place to the role of the Slavic educators in the cultural and historical development of Eastern Europe.
After more than a century – in 1980, this recognition will also come from Pope John Paul II, who declares them patrons of Europe.
Today, 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.
#Day #Cyril #Methodius
