Bulgaria celebrates Alphabet Day

SOFIA, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Day of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture, more commonly known as the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet, was celebrated here on Tuesday.

Addressing a ceremony in front of the National Library in Sofia, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said this year was particularly special because it marked 165 years since the first celebration of the day, and 1,130 years since the spread of the Slavonic alphabet in Bulgaria.

The key event is traditionally held in front of library at the monument of Saints Cyril and Methodius, two brothers who, in 855, invented the first alphabet for Slavic languages.

Over the centuries, Bulgaria has survived because of its education and culture, something which should more than ever remain a strategic national priority, Plevneliev said.

Yordanka Fandakova, mayor of Sofia, echoed that the development and implementation of the alphabet 12 centuries ago by the then-young Bulgarian state was an unprecedented act in Europe at the time.

The adoption and preservation of Bulgarian language, despite the vicissitudes of time, was the biggest Bulgarian victory, Fandakova added.

The Cyrillic alphabet is currently used exclusively or as one of several alphabets for more than 50 languages, such as Bulgarian, Russian and Ukrainian, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.