It honours Saints Cyril and Methodius, creators of the first Slavic alphabet, Glagolitic, and their disciples, who developed "кирилица"
(Cyrillic) in Bulgaria in the late 9th century. Pupils and students march with flowers, and teachers are congratulated. People greet each other with "Честит празник!"
. Since 2007 Cyrillic has been an official alphabet of the EU.
Explore Bulgaria
24 May — a holiday for letters
24 May is a celebration of Bulgarian letters, education and culture — for many Bulgarians the most beloved holiday.
Mark Ahsmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
History of Bulgaria
An illustrated history of Bulgaria
Explore Bulgaria
Name days
Many Bulgarians celebrate their "имен ден"
(name day) — the church feast of the saint they're named after — just like a birthday.
Ned Jelyazkov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Bulgarian yoghurt
Bulgarians rarely say "йогурт"
— they say "кисело мляко"
, literally "sour milk".
Animsaj · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
The Rose Valley
Between the Balkan Mountains and Sredna Gora lies "Долината на розите"
— the Rose Valley around Kazanlak and Karlovo.