Every year on May 24, Ukraine celebrates Slavic Literature and Culture Day—a holiday dedicated to the origins of the Slavic literary tradition, the development of education, spirituality, and cultural heritage.
honor the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius—Slavic brothers, educators, and leaders of Christianity, whose work was pivotal to the development of Slavic writing and culture.
Cyril created the Slavic alphabet based on the Greek alphabet, which he significantly modified to convey the phonetic features of the Slavic sound system, adding new letters borrowed from the Glagolitic alphabet. This alphabet spread among the Eastern and Southern Slavs, receiving the name “Cyrillic” in honor of its founder. Later, a writing tradition developed based on Cyrillic, which became the foundation for the development of many Slavic languages: Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Russian, and Montenegrin.
Today, the Cyrillic alphabet is used by over 250 million people worldwide, and it is the third official alphabet of the European Union after the Latin and Greek alphabets. This attests to the significance of Cyril and Methodius’s legacy for modern European culture.
At the same time as creating the alphabet, the brothers worked on translating the Gospels and the Psalter from Ancient Greek into Old Slavonic. In total, Cyril and Methodius translated a significant number of books, which laid the groundwork for the emergence of Slavic literary languages and book publishing. The oldest precisely dated Cyrillic book is the Old Russian Ostromir Gospel (1057).
But the brothers not only translated liturgical books from Greek into Old Slavonic; they also engaged in active educational work, laying the foundations of education, literature, and national consciousness among the Slavs. Their work was of immense historical significance.
The Ukrainian language, like culture in general, is part of the great Slavic heritage. At the same time, it possesses unique features that have been shaped over the centuries through interaction with other cultures. The Day of Slavic Writing and Culture is an opportunity not only to honor the legacy of the past but also to affirm Ukrainian identity as part of the European cultural tradition. On this day, we remember not only Cyril and Methodius, but also Nestor the Chronicler, Ivan Fedorov, Petro Mohyla, Hryhorii Skovoroda, Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Kotliarevsky, Lesia Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, and Mykhailo Petrenko—those who shaped and enriched Ukrainian culture and literary tradition.
Words have the power to build bridges between people, nations, and eras; therefore, despite contemporary political challenges, this holiday remains a symbol of mutual respect, cultural dialogue, and the memory of how writing helps peoples preserve their dignity, history, and voice in the world. By nurturing our language, supporting our culture, and teaching the younger generation to respect their heritage, we ensure the continuity of our spiritual tradition and the strength of our national identity. This holiday is meant to uphold the ideals of enlightenment, culture, and mutual understanding—values that remain relevant for modern Ukraine in its European choice and struggle to preserve its own identity.