24 May is an important holiday in many Eastern European countries as it is the day of the Cyrillic Alphabet. Also known as “Saints Cyril and Methodius Day” or “Slavonic Literature and Culture Day,” the day celebrates the Cyrillic script’s cultural legacy and heritage.
Used by more than 250 million people across over 50 languages, its invention is a milestone in the history of humanity and cultural independence as the writing system is present in various languages across Eurasia. It is currently used either exclusively or as one of several alphabets for languages like Belarusian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Russian, Serbian, Tajik (a dialect of Persian), Turkmen, Ukrainian, and Uzbek.
Based on the Greek alphabet, which was created by two Byzantine missionaries from Thessalonica Cyril and Methodius, the Cyrillic script is derived from the Greek uncial script, enriched by letters from the older Glagolitic alphabet, including some ligatures. The earliest literature written in Cyrillic were translations of fragments of the Bible and various other ecclesiastical texts.
Saints Cyril and Methodius celebrations have been the major cultural event of the year for generations in Eastern Europe. In Bulgaria and several other countries, 24 May is an official national holiday. Festivities are accompanied by parades, local and national cultural events, cultural ceremonies and other activities, which celebrate education and enlightenment.
If you are interested in practising your interpreting skills in languages that use the Cyrillic alphabet, choose the Speech Repository. There you will find 74 speeches in Russian, 58 in Bulgarian, 28 in Macedonian and 7 in Serbian. Do not lose more time!
Happy practice!
Your Speech Repository Team