THE 24TH OF MAY IS THE DAY OF SLAVIC LITERATURE AND CULTURE
"Language and a country's spiritual, cultural and historical heritage is what defines national identity and binds together the people, society, and the entire country. What’s more, in many ways, it is the foundation of state sovereignty.”
Vladimir Putin
The Day of Slavic literature and culture is celebrated in Russia on the 24th of May. This is the only state-religious holiday in the country, established in 1991. It is dated to the day of the memory of the apostles Cyril and Methodius – the founders of the Slavic alphabet.
Slavic written language was invented in the IX century, about the year of 862. The new alphabet was called "Cyrillic” after the name of Byzantine Constantine, who became Cyril after having adopted the monkshood. His elder brother Methodius helped him.
Cyril invented the Slavic alphabet on the base of the Greek one, but substantially changed it in order to meet the peculiarity of the Slavic sound system. As a result, two Slavic alphabets have been made: the Glagolithic and the Cyrillic.
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