May 24 – Day of Slavic Literature and Culture

Every year on May 24, all Slavic countries honour the memory of the holy co-apostolic brothers Cyril and Methodius – the creators of Slavic writing. In Ukraine, the holiday was established by the Presidential Decree of September 17, 2004.

Cyril and Methodius were highly educated people who were interpreters of Christian teaching. Cyril worked in the patriarchal library, and Methodius was the abbot of the monastery. Both were astute, gifted polemicists, linguists and translators.

Cyril created a special alphabet for the Moravians, together with Methodius he translated the first texts from the Gospels and the Psalms. Both knew the ancient Bulgarian language well from childhood because they were originally from Thessaloniki, where many Bulgarians lived alongside the Greeks. This explains why the Slavic language was based on the Thessaloniki-Macedonian dialect of Old Bulgarian, supplemented by innovations from other languages. This language will later be called Old Slavonic. According to the Bulgarian monk Chornorizets Hrabra, this happened in 863. This year is considered to be the beginning of Slavic writing.

Literacy is the soul of every nation, its sanctity, its most precious treasure. The origin of writing is extremely important in the history of any nation. This is one of the most important tools of culture, which in expands the functioning of language in space and time. The task of contemporaries is to preserve the completeness and frequency of the memory of this important historical knowledge.

Every year, medical students together with teachers of the Department of Social Sciences celebrate this holiday. Students prepare reports on the history of the issue, study the biographies of Cyril and Methodius, and recite poetry and prose in Slavic languages. Such events always take place in a creative atmosphere and find a response in young hearts. The purpose of the event is to honour your identity! So, let us be proud of the glorious achievements of our predecessors in the field of spirituality and culture, preserve and increase the cultural heritage of the Ukrainians!