Day of Bulgarian Alphabet: Why Bulgaria Celebrates 24 May
| 24 May at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 May every year |
| Status | Official public holiday in Bulgaria since 1990 |
| Honors | Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian alphabet, education, culture and Slavic literature |
| First recorded celebration | Plovdiv, 11 May 1851 (old style) |
| Anthem | „Върви, народе възродени“ (1892 words, 1901 music) |
| Greeting | Честит 24 май! (Chestit 24 may!) |
The Day of Bulgarian Alphabet is a Bulgarian public holiday held every 24 May. It honors Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Cyrillic alphabet, Bulgarian education and culture, and Slavic literature. Its full official name is the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture and of Slavonic Literature.
The Day of Bulgarian Alphabet falls on 24 May and is one of Bulgaria’s best-loved holidays. It celebrates the alphabet Bulgarians read every day, the brothers credited with Slavic writing, and the teachers, writers and scholars who carried that legacy forward. Schools, universities and towns across the country mark it with processions and flowers.
The official name of the Day of Bulgarian Alphabet
For decades the holiday was known as the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture and of Slavonic Literature, in Bulgarian Ден на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост (Den na balgarskata prosveta i kultura i na slavyanskata pismenost).
In 2020 it was renamed to put the alphabet and the two saints in the title. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs now uses the name Ден на светите братя Кирил и Методий, на българската азбука, просвета и култура и на славянската книжовност. In English that is roughly “Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture and of Slavonic Literature.” Most people simply say 24 май (24 may).
Why 24 May?
Saints Cyril and Methodius have been commemorated in Bulgaria since at least the 12th century. The Orthodox Church honors them on 11 May. Under the old Julian calendar, 11 May corresponds to 24 May in the Gregorian calendar, which Bulgaria adopted in 1916. The civic holiday kept the 24 May date.
The brothers never worked in Bulgaria themselves. Their disciples did, arriving around 886. In the First Bulgarian Empire those disciples spread the Glagolitic alphabet and developed Cyrillic, which is why Bulgarians feel such a strong claim to the holiday.
How the holiday began
The 24 May celebration grew out of the 19th-century Bulgarian National Revival, a period of new schools, books and national awareness under Ottoman rule.
- 1803: An Armenian traveler mentions a “celebration of the Bulgarian script” in Shumen on 22 May. It is the earliest known reference.
- 1851: The teacher Nayden Gerov organizes a school celebration in Plovdiv on 11 May (old style). This is usually counted as the first holiday of its kind.
- 1892 and 1901: Stoyan Mihaylovski writes the words of what becomes the holiday’s anthem, and Panayot Pipkov sets them to music.
- 1990: 24 May becomes an official public holiday.
- 2020: The holiday receives its current, longer name.
The anthem: “Forward, People Reborn”
Every 24 May, Bulgarian schoolchildren sing „Върви, народе възродени“ (Varvi, narode vazrodeni), “Forward, people reborn.” Stoyan Mihaylovski, a teacher in Ruse, wrote the poem in 1892. Panayot Pipkov, a music teacher, composed the melody, and it was first performed in Lovech on 11 May 1901.
The song calls on the nation to move forward through learning, and it names the two brothers as the source of Bulgarian letters. It is often called the anthem of Bulgarian education.
How Bulgarians celebrate the Day of Bulgarian Alphabet
Traditions vary by town, but some are found almost everywhere.
- Processions. Pupils, students and teachers march through town centers, often in school uniforms and carrying flowers.
- Flowers for teachers and monuments. Children give flowers to their teachers. Wreaths are laid at monuments to Cyril and Methodius, such as the statue outside the national library in Sofia.
- Letters and portraits. Marchers often carry portraits of the brothers or large Cyrillic letters.
- Awards and concerts. Schools, universities and cultural institutions hand out prizes and hold concerts.
For first graders, the holiday comes near the end of their first school year, after they have worked through their буквар (bukvar), the ABC book used to learn to read.
Useful words for 24 May
Want to greet a Bulgarian friend on the day? These words and phrases come up often. Tap a button to hear each one.
| Bulgarian | Transliteration | Meaning | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| Честит 24 май! | Chestit 24 may! | Happy 24 May! | |
| Честит празник! | Chestit praznik! | Happy holiday! | |
| азбука | azbuka | alphabet | |
| буквар | bukvar | first reading book, ABC primer | |
| просвета | prosveta | education, enlightenment | |
| писменост | pismenost | writing, written language | |
| книжовност | knizhovnost | literature, letters |
Note that май (may, the month) is written in lowercase in Bulgarian, like all month names. For more greetings, see Bulgarian phrases.
Why the holiday matters beyond Bulgaria
For Bulgarians, 24 May is also a reminder that Cyrillic began on their soil and is now shared by more than 50 languages. Since Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, Cyrillic has been one of the Union’s three official scripts, next to Latin and Greek. The word ЕВРО (EVRO) on the newer euro banknotes, and Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro on 1 January 2026, made that link visible in everyday life. Embassies and Bulgarian schools abroad hold their own 24 May events for the diaspora.
If you want to follow the story further, our Bulgarian alphabet history traces it from 863 to today.
Similar holidays in other countries
Bulgaria is not alone. North Macedonia, Russia and Serbia also mark days for Slavic writing and culture or for the two saints around 24 May. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 5 July is a public holiday for Cyril and Methodius, commemorating their arrival in Great Moravia. In the Catholic calendar their feast is 14 February.
Common mistakes about 24 May
- Calling it “Cyrillic Alphabet Day” only. The holiday also honors education, culture and Slavic literature as a whole.
- Thinking the brothers invented Cyrillic. Cyril created Glagolitic. Cyrillic came from their disciples in Bulgaria. See who invented Cyrillic.
- Mixing up 11 May and 24 May. 11 May is the church date in the old calendar; 24 May is the same day in the modern calendar and the public holiday.
- Capitalizing the month. In Bulgarian it is 24 май, not 24 Май.
Frequently asked questions
What is celebrated on the Day of Bulgarian Alphabet?
It celebrates Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet, Bulgarian education and culture, and Slavic literature. It falls on 24 May.
Is 24 May a public holiday in Bulgaria?
Yes. It has been an official public holiday since 1990, and schools, offices and most businesses close.
Why is the Bulgarian alphabet celebrated on 24 May?
The church feast of Cyril and Methodius is 11 May in the old Julian calendar, which equals 24 May in the Gregorian calendar Bulgaria uses today.
When was the Day of Bulgarian Alphabet first celebrated?
The first recorded celebration of its kind was held in Plovdiv on 11 May 1851 (old style), organized by the teacher Nayden Gerov. An earlier mention dates to Shumen in 1803.
How do you say Happy 24 May in Bulgarian?
Say Честит 24 май! (Chestit 24 may!) or simply Честит празник! (Chestit praznik!), “Happy holiday!”
Sources
- Wikipedia: Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavonic Literature Day
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria: Честит 24 май
- Wikipedia: Anthem of the Bulgarian Enlightenment
- Wikipedia: Saints Cyril and Methodius