site.btaMore Than 250 Mln People Worldwide Use Cyrillic, a Bulgarian Contribution to Global Civilization, Says MRF MP Atidzhe Alieva-Veli

“Today, more than 250 million people around the world use the Cyrillic alphabet in their daily lives – a contribution of our country to global civilization and cultural progress,” MP Atidzhe Alieva-Veli said in a declaration from the parliamentary rostrum marking May 24, the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

On May 24, Bulgaria celebrates the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and of Slavic Literature. Constantine (Cyril) (827-869) and Methodius (815-885) were Bulgarian missionaries born in Salonica, who devised the first writing system for Slav languages (Glagolitic) in 855 AD or 862-863 AD.

Alieva-Veli said May 24 was the holiday that defined Bulgaria’s significance on the world map. She said the spiritual and cultural legacy created by Bulgarian literacy during the First Bulgarian Empire remained alive 11 centuries later, despite political, cultural and geopolitical transformations.

“Thanks to the Holy Brothers, much of the Christian world today reads the Holy Scripture in a language it understands and connects more easily with God,” she said.

Alieva-Veli added that through Bulgaria’s contribution, hundreds of millions of people in Europe and beyond use Cyrillic every day, continuing the legacy of Sts Cyril and Methodius, often without even realizing it.

She also said May 24 was a day to remember those who preserved the Bulgarian spirit and literary tradition through years of hardship and sacrifice.