Symbol of the day of Slavic writing. Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. Cyril and Methodius. Saints Cyril and Methodius

The Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is a kind of recognition by the Soviet government of the merits of two outstanding Orthodox saints: Cyril and Methodius.

Cyril and Methodius were born in the 9th century in the city of Thessaloniki, and by origin they were Slavs from a noble family. Both became Orthodox monks (Cyril and Methodius are their names after tonsure). In 857, the Byzantine emperor sent the brothers to the Khazar Khaganate to preach the Orthodox faith there. As the story goes, they successfully convinced the Khazar prince and his entourage to accept Christianity, and even took 200 Greek captives from captivity. In 862, preachers came to Moravia (at the request of the Moravian prince) - here they created the Slavic alphabet, translated the Gospel, Psalter and other liturgical books into Slavic.

Cyril and Methodius were recognized by the church as saints back in the 9th century, but in Russia the memory of the enlightenment brothers began to be celebrated in 1863 - this was the decision of the Russian Holy Synod, which set the date for this as May 11 according to the old style (May 24 according to the new style).

On January 30, 1991, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted a resolution to annually celebrate the days of Russian culture and writing. Each year a different city became the capital of this holiday.

We remember familiar sounds from childhood:
This is Az, and this is Buki.
Glory and honor to Cyril and Methodius
Because Slavic writing exists!
And the whole world appreciates our culture,
He reads our literature avidly.
Let the years pass, let the centuries pass,
Slavic culture will always exist!
Brothers Slavs, happy holiday to you.
Keep and appreciate the cultural reserve!

Cyril and Methodius once upon a time
They created an alphabet for us,
We saved these letters
And we use them now,
On the day of writing we wish everyone
Don't forget traditions
Protect your language and culture
Preserve for generations!

Today is a significant day - the Day of Slavic Culture and Literature. This holiday unites all Slavic peoples, because Slavic culture is native to all of us. Thanks to the emergence of writing, we can touch the origins of our cultural heritage. Let's cherish and honor what our ancestors passed on to us, support and revive forgotten traditions, and be proud that we are Slavs!

Today we celebrate the Day of Slavic Literature.
The bright day of culture has come to us today.
We congratulate you on this bright holiday.
May everything in your life be good.

Let the bright Slavic spirit help you,
Sincerity always gives you hope.
May literacy and knowledge flourish forever,
Your life is illuminated like a star in the darkness.

Happiness, light, joy, eternal luck
On this wonderful day we wish you.
Don't lose hope, faith, inspiration.
So that a bright angel protects you.

Cyril and Methodius tried their best,
Now we have the alphabet,
Today we will glorify their feat,
Happy writing day to you.

Let culture flourish
Long live the Slavic people,
I wish you this holiday
I never know adversity.

On the day of Saints Cyril and Methodius,
We congratulate you with all our hearts,
After all, for us they sound like a native melody
Languages ​​dear to the heart.

Slavic languages ​​and writing,
Our speech, culture and words
And the soul is wide, and sincerity,
We will be united for centuries.

I sincerely congratulate you on Culture Day,
And Slavic writing you,
We congratulate everyone mentally
And, of course, in writing now.

Creation of the Slavic alphabet
We are celebrating today, friends.
And this moment is a reminder
That you can’t forget your language!

Happy Culture Day to you! Just remember
How amazingly big
Filled with goodness and warmth of hearts
Our amazing language!

Cyril and Methodius - two holy brothers,
What an alphabet they created for the Slavs!
We need to celebrate a wonderful date,
After all, how would we all live without the alphabet?

Without the alphabet there would be no literature,
And no one would know about the letter!
Let's appreciate all the origins of culture,
So that everyone hears about the great brothers!

Let's say thank you to two saints -
Cyril and Methodius!
Our culture was laid
Glorifying our homeland!

For Slavic writing
We will give them honor.
Their feats are more beautiful
We won't trace it anywhere.

Let the Slavic languages
And writing lives on,
Since the last ones in heaven
The luminaries will not die!

Slavic speech sounds
Just like a melody.
Let us remember today the saints
Cyril and Methodius.

Native speech and culture
Let it be held in high esteem
Never her basics
We will never forget in life.

Writing and culture were given to us from our ancestors,
We sacredly preserve these traditions,
And in their souls they are sealed tightly,
We take them with breast milk.

Appreciate and protect this folk treasure -
The task of the Slavs for all times,
Multiply and grow year after year,
So that the country can be proud of its glorious culture!

Congratulations: 55 in verse, 9 in prose.

Day of Slavic Literature and Culture (Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius) is the Russian name of the holiday dedicated to the day of remembrance of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Methodius and Cyril (IX).

Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian teachers

The holy Equal-to-the-Apostles first teachers and Slavic educators, the brothers Cyril and Methodius, came from a noble and pious family that lived in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. Saint Methodius was the eldest of seven brothers, Saint Constantine (Cyril was his monastic name) the youngest. Saint Methodius was at first in a military rank and was a ruler in one of the Slavic principalities subordinate to the Byzantine Empire, apparently Bulgarian, which gave him the opportunity to learn the Slavic language. Having stayed there for about 10 years, Saint Methodius then became a monk in one of the monasteries on Mount Olympus. From an early age, Saint Constantine was distinguished by great abilities and studied together with the young Emperor Michael from the best teachers of Constantinople, including Photius, the future Patriarch of Constantinople. Saint Constantine perfectly comprehended all the sciences of his time and many languages; he especially diligently studied the works of Saint Gregory the Theologian. For his intelligence and outstanding knowledge, Saint Constantine received the nickname Philosopher (wise). At the end of his studies, Saint Constantine accepted the rank of priest and was appointed custodian of the patriarchal library at the Church of Saint Sophia, but soon left the capital and secretly entered a monastery. Found there and returned to Constantinople, he was appointed teacher of philosophy at the higher school of Constantinople. The wisdom and strength of faith of the still very young Constantine were so great that he managed to defeat the leader of the iconoclast heretics, Annius, in a debate. After this victory, Constantine was sent by the emperor to debate about the Holy Trinity with the Saracens (Muslims) and also won. Having returned, Saint Constantine retired to his brother Saint Methodius on Olympus, spending time in unceasing prayer and reading the works of the holy fathers.

Soon the emperor summoned both holy brothers from the monastery and sent them to the Khazars to preach the gospel. On the way, they stopped for some time in the city of Korsun, preparing for the sermon. There the holy brothers miraculously found the relics of the Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (November 25). There, in Korsun, Saint Constantine found the Gospel and the Psalter, written in “Russian letters,” and a man speaking Russian, and began to learn from this man to read and speak his language. After this, the holy brothers went to the Khazars, where they won the debate with Jews and Muslims, preaching the Gospel teaching. On the way home, the brothers again visited Korsun and, taking the relics of Saint Clement there, returned to Constantinople. Saint Constantine remained in the capital, and Saint Methodius received the abbess in the small monastery of Polychron, not far from Mount Olympus, where he had previously labored.

Soon, ambassadors from the Moravian prince Rostislav, oppressed by the German bishops, came to the emperor with a request to send teachers to Moravia who could preach in the native language of the Slavs. The emperor called Saint Constantine and told him: “You need to go there, because no one will do this better than you.” Saint Constantine, with fasting and prayer, began a new feat. With the help of his brother Saint Methodius and the disciples Gorazd, Clement, Savva, Naum and Angelar, he compiled the Slavic alphabet and translated into Slavic the books without which the Divine service could not be performed: the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter and selected services. This was in 863.

After completing the translation, the holy brothers went to Moravia, where they were received with great honor, and began to teach Divine services in the Slavic language. This aroused the anger of the German bishops, who performed divine services in Latin in the Moravian churches, and they rebelled against the holy brothers, arguing that divine services could only be performed in one of three languages: Hebrew, Greek or Latin. Saint Constantine answered them: “You recognize only three languages ​​worthy of glorifying God in them. But David cries: Sing to the Lord, all the earth, praise the Lord, all nations, let every breath praise the Lord! And in the Holy Gospel it is said: Go and learn all languages...” The German bishops were disgraced, but became even more embittered and filed a complaint to Rome. The holy brothers were called to Rome to resolve this issue. Taking with them the relics of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, Saints Constantine and Methodius went to Rome. Having learned that the holy brothers were carrying holy relics with them, Pope Adrian and the clergy went out to meet them. The holy brothers were greeted with honor, the Pope approved worship in the Slavic language, and ordered the books translated by the brothers to be placed in Roman churches and the liturgy to be performed in the Slavic language.

While in Rome, Saint Constantine fell ill and, informed by the Lord in a miraculous vision of his approaching death, he took the schema with the name Cyril. 50 days after accepting the schema, on February 14, 869, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril died at the age of 42. Going to God, Saint Cyril commanded his brother Saint Methodius to continue their common cause - the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples with the light of the true faith. Saint Methodius begged the Pope to allow his brother's body to be taken away for burial in his native land, but the Pope ordered the relics of Saint Cyril to be placed in the church of Saint Clement, where miracles began to be performed from them.

After the death of St. Cyril, the pope, following the request of the Slavic prince Kotzel, sent St. Methodius to Pannonia, ordaining him as Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia, to the ancient throne of St. Andronicus the Apostle. In Pannonia, St. Methodius, together with his disciples, continued to spread worship, writing and books in the Slavic language . This again angered the German bishops. They achieved the arrest and trial of Saint Methodius, who was exiled to prison in Swabia, where he endured much suffering for two and a half years. Released by order of Pope John VIII and restored to his rights as an archbishop, Methodius continued preaching the gospel among the Slavs and baptized the Czech prince Borivoj and his wife Lyudmila (September 16), as well as one of the Polish princes. For the third time, German bishops initiated persecution against the saint for not accepting the Roman teaching about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son. Saint Methodius was summoned to Rome, but justified himself before the pope, preserving the purity of the Orthodox teaching, and was again returned to the capital of Moravia - Velehrad.

Here, in the last years of his life, Saint Methodius, with the help of two disciple-priests, translated the entire Old Testament into Slavic, except for the Maccabean books, as well as the Nomocanon (Rules of the Holy Fathers) and the patristic books (Paterikon).

Anticipating the approach of his death, Saint Methodius pointed to one of his disciples, Gorazd, as a worthy successor. The saint predicted the day of his death and died on April 6, 885 at the age of about 60 years. The funeral service for the saint was performed in three languages ​​- Slavic, Greek and Latin; he was buried in the cathedral church of Velehrad.

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life1038.htm

Slavic glorious day

The feat of Saints Cyril and Methodius - the creation of the Slavic alphabet in 863 - gave us not only writing, but also the opportunity to perform divine services and read the Holy Scriptures in our native language. The very formation of Russian statehood coincided with the birth of the Slavic alphabet. The Cyril and Methodius celebrations in Russia and Moscow in the second half of the 19th century can be partly compared with Pushkin’s celebrations - they were the same comprehension of the origins of national identity and the Russian idea in the light of the feat of the Thessaloniki brothers.

The first celebration in honor of Cyril and Methodius coincided with the celebration of the millennium of Russia in 1862, since the following year, 1863, marked the millennium of the Slavic alphabet. Such a combination was very symbolic and testified to the unity of the Church, nation and language. It is quite natural that, as a sign of the national holiday, they remembered the “Slavic apostles”, since, according to M.N. Katkov, the language is the people. Their holiday was especially “promoted” by the Slavophiles. The eve of the honoring of the Thessaloniki brothers was marked by a kind of miracle - in 1855, the historian M.N. Pogodin donated a piece of the holy relics of Cyril, once given to him in Prague, to the house church of Moscow University - the first Cyril and Methodius celebrations in Russia took place there.

The initiative was made by the Church, and this first holiday was exclusively church. In the 17th century, due to the editing of Russian liturgical books according to Greek models, the ancient service to the first teachers was not included in the official printed Monthly Book. That is why, at the beginning of 1860, Bishop Anthony of Smolensk (Amphiteatrov) turned to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod with a request that the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius, established by the Church on May 11, should be honored in a more appropriate manner, especially considering their ancient celebrations in Rus'. He proposed drawing up a new solemn service and timing it in churches to coincide with the 1000th anniversary of Russia and the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples.

The service compiled by Bishop Anthony was approved and included in the liturgical books on May 11 and distributed to Russian churches.

“As the apostle of unanimity and the Slovenian countries, the teacher, Cyril and Methodius of God-wisdom, pray to the Lord of all, to establish all Slovenian languages ​​in Orthodoxy and unanimity, to pacify the world and save our souls.”

This service was first performed in Russia on May 11, 1862. In Moscow, the first celebrations in honor of Cyril and Methodius took place in the house church of Moscow University - at the intersection of faith and science, for the word, worship and education are interconnected. At the festive liturgy, the ancient canon of St. Cyril and Methodius, and at its end a prayer service was performed. Then, at the suggestion of the professors, a fund was opened for the construction of an icon of Cyril and Methodius for the university’s home church.

The first celebrations were modest, but marked the beginning of the return of the memory of the Slavic apostles in modern society and the beginning of the revival of the Slavic idea under the auspices of Russia, and most importantly - the understanding of national identity in the bosom of the Orthodox Church, which was a kind of opposition to militant liberalism and nihilism. I.S. Aksakov called this holiday “the guarantee of the future spiritual reunification of all Slavs, and a link connecting scattered brothers.”

The rumor about the May 11 celebration in Moscow will spread throughout all Slavic countries with the joyful news of future liberation; because the spiritual revival of the Slavs is impossible without the participation of the multi-million Russian tribe in the common feat of Slavic self-awareness.” So let this holiday in the future spread from the Assumption Cathedral to a rural church in the most remote outback.

The clergy called in the future to turn the holiday of Cyril and Methodius into a holiday of public education, for the holy brothers were the people's teachers, and to glorify them as patrons of public education. In the meantime, they decided that the best memory of them in modern times is the continuation of their work both in education and in the development of Slavic speech. In the same 1862, Alexander II ordered the establishment of Cyril and Methodius scholarships - four personal scholarships for each Russian university. Sculptures of Cyril and Methodius were placed on the great monument “Millennium of Russia” in Novgorod.

In 1863, the 1000th anniversary of Slavic writing broke out, marked by a festive liturgy in the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral. Shortly before that, the Holy Synod adopted a decree by which May 11 was once again officially declared the day of the annual church celebration of the memory of the Thessaloniki brothers “in memory of the completion of the millennium from the initial illumination of our native language with the Gospel and the faith of Christ.”

The time itself was conducive to such celebrations and moved Russia, and the entire Slavic world, to rethink its own existence in the light of the mission of the Slavic apostles, for anniversary dates moved with amazing speed. Already in 1869, a new millennium was celebrated: from the day of the death of St. Kirill. The day before, a miracle happened: two years earlier, the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Leonid, during a trip to Athos, discovered the most ancient icon image of Cyril and Methodius there. They painted an image from it and brought it to Russia.

Now the holiday was celebrated not only in churches, but took on the character of a civil celebration. On that day, February 14, festive services were held in the Kremlin Miracle Monastery and many Moscow churches, followed by public ceremonies. An open meeting of the Slavic Charity Committee was held at Moscow University, at which the establishment of the Kirillov Prize for students was announced, “in order to encourage young people to engage in Slavic studies,” which was not particularly successful at that time. And then the director of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums V.A. Dashkov promised to build a temple of Cyril and Methodius at the university museum in the architectural style of the 10th century (at the time of the baptism of Rus') and with a chapel in the name of St. Prince Vladimir the Great.

The historical situation was truly amazing. On the one hand, the great anniversaries, marked by a surge of Orthodox, national and social thought, the events in the Balkans on the eve of the Russian-Turkish war encouraged reflection on the true mission of the Thessaloniki brothers and their heritage. On the other hand, their memory never managed to outgrow the church and scientific level and remain a national topic. After the end of the anniversaries, the euphoria subsided, the memory subsided, all undertakings and plans fell into oblivion, and the Slavic mission, together with the legacy of Cyril and Methodius, still remained the lot of the church and narrowly scientific environment.

However, after the Russian-Turkish war, the liberation of Bulgaria and the murder of Alexander the Liberator, when the third great anniversary came on April 6, 1885 - the 1000th anniversary of the death of Methodius, the holiday was given the character of a state and pan-Slavic celebration, in which the mission of the Thessaloniki brothers was conceptualized as pan-Slavic and exclusively in the bosom Orthodoxy. The situation was partly dictated by the fact that the Catholic Church also celebrated the holiday at the Velegrad celebrations, for Slavic Catholics, where Cyril and Methodius preached before the schism. In Russia, many considered it blasphemy to honor the memory of St. Methodius with a Mass in Latin. In addition, in the Catholic environment there were also “dreams” about the unification of the Western and Eastern Slavs under their auspices, as opposed to a similar desire in Russia. The creation of Slavic Orthodox worship by the Thessalonica brothers was what they tried to emphasize at the celebrations in Russia. After all, before Cyril and Methodius, only ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew were considered worthy languages ​​for performing divine services. (As explained, in these languages, by order of Pontius Pilate, the inscription was made on the Cross of Calvary of the Lord.)

Now the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, K.P. Pobedonostsev, personally took charge of preparing the anniversary, considering it necessary to organize a grandiose Orthodox celebration. He wrote to Alexander III:

I think that this celebration will not remain without important consequences and will confirm in the popular consciousness (which is especially important in the outskirts) a sense of nationality and the concept of enlightenment associated with the Church.

Pobedonostsev asked the sovereign to honor the celebration with his presence precisely to give the holiday the proper official status - not only church, but also state, national, and popular.

As a result, the festivities of 1885 became the apogee in the history of honoring the memory of the Slavic apostles. The preparation was thorough and wise. First of all, the lives of the holy brothers were printed in accessible Russian, which were distributed free of charge to the people, scientific and popular biographies, even ancient church services of St. Cyril and Methodius. Secondly, a broad educational campaign was carried out. “Moskovskie Vedomosti” was noted for the wisest article by M.N. Katkov, in which he, discussing the mission of the Slavic apostles and its significance for the world and Russia, called, among other things, to protect the language, to cleanse it of introduced “monstrous forms” and not to forget that The Slavic language is Russian, only in its most ancient state.

Hence, in order to translate the Holy Scripture from Old Church Slavonic into Russian for the people, it is necessary to preserve its “warehouse”, only replacing the “incomprehensible with the understandable”, and not translating “Our Father” as “Our Father” or instead of Lord - Master. That is, do not transmit “sacred objects in the form of everyday speech.” (Katkov rarely loses his sense of modernity). The merit of the Thessaloniki brothers is actually the birth of the Russian people.

They raised the new people who came into the world to historical life, they created a new force in the world, which is destined for its purpose in the economy of Providence, which, with the division of the Churches that arose, is destined to remain in the East... if Cyril and Methodius had not sanctified our primitive language, they would not have raised our word into the Divine Service Body, there would be no place left and no vessel for the Eastern Orthodox Church, there would be no one to carry out the work of its destinies.

Celebrations in Russia took place with the participation of the imperial couple and foreign delegations from Slavic countries. On April 6, before the festive service in St. Isaac's Cathedral, the consecration of Archimandrite Mitrofan (Ban), who was appointed Metropolitan of Montenegro, took place. Pobedonostsev asked the sovereign to grant him the highest episcopal vestments, similar to those that Russian bishops wore for their coronation.

And then the liturgy took place in the presence of the sovereign, the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, ministers and Slavic deputations, and the festive message of the Holy Synod was read out.

By the grace of God, through them the Gospel of Christ was sent down to us, through them we came to know the beauty of the Church and were brought from darkness to light and from death to eternal life

The next day, civil festivities took place. In the evening, a ceremonial meeting of the Slavic Charitable Society was held under the chairmanship of P.P. Durnovo. The same “Muscovite” ideas about the unity of the Slavic tribe were repeated, “the solid foundation of which, a thousand years ago, was laid by Saints Cyril and Methodius.” There were also unexpected fresh thoughts. For example, V.I. Lamansky very much supported the idea of ​​the Catholic Slavs about the restoration of an independent Moravian archbishopric (St. Methodius served as Archbishop of Moravia and Pannonia) with Slavic dioceses and about the return of Latin Christianity to the apostolic traditions and customs of the ancient Roman Church. It was in this that he saw the beginning of real reconciliation and the resolution of many Slavic disputes.

Moscow celebrated in its own way, crowded with thousands of pilgrims surrounding the Kremlin, Red Square and the surrounding area. The liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was performed by Bishop Alexy of Tauride, where, by the way, several students from each school were present - that is, the idea of ​​Cyril and Methodius’ patronage of public education began to gradually come true. From there the procession went to the Kremlin. There, in the Assumption Cathedral, after the end of the liturgy, a grand procession began to the ringing of all the Kremlin bells. The spectacle was majestic - hundreds of banners swayed, bells hummed, golden vestments sparkled, a thousand-spoken prayer was read out. The festive procession through the Spassky Gate entered Red Square, where the icon of St. Cyril and Methodius, walked to the Nikolsky Gate and through them returned to the Kremlin.

Then the civil festivities began. A solemn meeting was held at Moscow University, opening with the singing “Today the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us together.” At the Katkovsky Lyceum of Tsarevich Nicholas, after the liturgy in the house church, V.V. Nazarevsky, an outstanding historian of Moscow, delivered an anniversary speech. At the Moscow Theological Seminary, hymns to the Slavic apostles were performed, to the music of P.I. Tchaikovsky and priest V.F. Starorussky. Metropolitan Ioannikiy proposed to honor the memory of the Slavic pioneer teachers by establishing a “Brotherhood for assistance to parochial schools.” The Brotherhood of Cyril and Methodius was created and existed until 1917, and should not be confused with the Kostomarov society of the same name. Everyone that day cared about the national holiday of education - lectures were organized for ordinary Muscovites in libraries and reading rooms.

And there was also a completely logical thought expressed in Katkov’s article and in the speech of the Irkutsk cathedral archpriest Afanasy Vinogradov, consonant with it, regarding the Catholic and Orthodox celebration. Can they be considered united and equal? The Catholic Slavs, “Czechs, Moravians, Slovenians and Croats rightly celebrate because the missionary work of the brothers took place in their countries.” However, the Western Slavs fell away from the Orthodox doctrine of the holy brothers (who preached before the schism of the Churches), the order of worship they introduced, and rejected the fruits of their educational activities. As a result, the service at the Velegrad celebrations is in Latin. As Katkov put it, the Russian people “put their cause at the forefront of their entire building - both church and state.” The Eastern Slavs preserved their teaching and worship in their original form, and although the Slavic dialects have already moved significantly away from one another, “the language of the Church still remains common among them” - this is the guarantee of the spiritual unity of the Slavic world, “under the moral influence of the Russian people, as the eldest member of this family."

Thus, Pobedonostsev, according to the modern researcher A. Popovkin, took a kind of revenge for the Berlin Congress, at which the achievements of the Russian-Turkish war were diplomatically failed. Now Russia finds itself at the head of the Slavic celebrations, claiming “the status of the imperial center of Slavic civilization.” The Emperor was pleased.

And then everything went downhill again. The pre-revolutionary semi-liberal-semi-revolutionary Russian society, torn apart by political strife, turned out to be incapable of deeply comprehending the Slavic mission, and historical events were not favorable for this. It turned out to be easier to hold and attend one-time celebrations than to join them spiritually. The anniversary “ideas” were carried out for a long time and with difficulty, or were not even fulfilled. According to historian V.F. Kozlov, on the site near the Senate Tower, where the Historical Museum had almost appeared before, they were going to build the Moscow Church of Cyril and Methodius, but in the end only a mausoleum was built. The Encyclopedia of Slavic Philology was published a quarter of a century after the Methodius celebrations, but only in the form of the first volume. Only the idea of ​​the patronage of the holy brothers for public education gained strength. In 1887, a house church in their name was consecrated in the Agricultural School on Smolensky Boulevard (later - the Military Veterinary Academy), and in 1911 - in a church-school near the Danilovsky Cemetery. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Synod ordered that on May 11 (24) a festive service be held in house churches at all educational institutions of the ecclesiastical department with the release of students from classes.

The thread of history continues. In our time, the holiday to the creators of the Russian word has become a state holiday. In 1992, a wonderful monument to Cyril and Methodius with an unquenchable lamp was erected on Slavyanskaya Square, happily renamed from Nogin Square. The monument as a symbol of the revival of Russia and as the same guarantee of Slavic unity.

Let us recall the words from the Tale of Bygone Years: “Whoever blasphemes the Slovenian Charter must be excommunicated from the church.”

Elena Lebedeva

In history there are several varieties of writing among the Slavs. Slavic writing was used to conclude contracts, transmit notes and for other purposes. For example, you can find information about this from Archimandrite Leonid Kavelin in his Collection: “On the homeland and origin of the Glagolitic alphabet and its relationship to the Cyrillic alphabet” (1891). There is a special day dedicated to Slavic writing. Today it is celebrated by Russians as a day of veneration of Cyril and Methodius, although it is known that neither Cyril nor Methodius invented the Russian alphabet. They just transformed it - shortened it and adapted it to make it easier to translate Christian manuscripts from Greek. For example, from the historian Dobner (Czech Republic), you can find a whole study on the topic: “Is the now so-called Cyrillic alphabet really an invention of the Slavic ap. Kirill? (1786 edition).

Writing, as a derivative of the famous Christian saints Cyril and Methodius, appeared in Rus' in the period from 900 to the early 1000s. Before this time, the Slavs used a different writing system. We find data from chroniclers about the conclusion of agreements by the prince. Igor and Prince Oleg with the Byzantine kingdom (907-911) even before the arrival of the Cyrillic alphabet in Rus'.

Some historians called it “Khazar writing” (Persian, Fakhr ad-Din, 700), speaking about the southwestern Slavs of a specific historical period. Others called it “an independent Russian letter,” referring to the “Thessalonica Legend,” which contains a mention of Jerome (lived before 420) and his connection with Slavic writings. Some scientists consider Cyril and Jerome from this legend to be the same person, but the dating of the activities of these characters does not coincide.

There are now two directions in which Slavic writing developed:

1. Fine views. Creating a three-dimensional image and perception.
2. Descriptive types. Creating planar perception by drawings on a plane.

Previously, our ancestors, when talking about objectivity and functions, called their writing:

• in a word;
• by letter;
• a book;
• literacy.

Types of writing throughout the history of the Slavs, arranged in chronological order of their time of appearance and use:

• Glagolitic– mid-10th century;
• Initial letter(Old Slovenian) – presumably the end of the 10th century;
• ABC– a variant of pre-revolutionary tsarist Russia;
• Alphabet– 1918 (Lunacharsky reform).

Some scientists present the Glagolitic alphabet as one of the ways of pronunciation and writing of the Initial Letter. But this issue is still being investigated. This is what the Russian philologist I.I. Sreznevsky tells us. (1848):

Turning to the Glagolotic alphabet, let us note first of all how it is similar and how it differs from the Cyrillic alphabet. Most of its letters differ in shape not only from Kirill's, but also from other known ones. Similar to Kirillov's d, x, m, p, f, sh... The selection of letters is the same. The order of the letters is also the same... The peculiarity of many Glagolitic letters has long led to the conclusion that the Glagolitic alphabet is the ancient alphabet of the pagan Slavs and, therefore, older than the Cyrillic alphabet; Count Grubisic, Doctor Anton, believed this; The now famous German philologist J. Grimm believes this. It is hardly possible to refute this, admitting that the simple ancient features were replaced by curly and complex ones in the now known Glagolitic alphabet later, due to special, unknown reasons; however, it is also difficult to refute the fact that the letters of the Glagolitic alphabet of unknown origin were never simpler, but were invented by an idle literate as they are, without any deviation from the ancient Slavic writings. It is true that the features of the Glagolitic alphabet are generally rough and some open to the left side, as if they were used for writing from the right hand to the left, but the roughness of the design of the letters is not a sign of antiquity, and the opening of some to the left side could be an accidental expression of the taste of the inventor...

Slavic writing was used in 4 variations: 2 main and 2 auxiliary. Separately, we should dwell on such varieties of writing that historians of modern science still cannot ignore. These are the following types of writing among Slavs of different nationalities:

Traits and Res. By their names one can judge their origin - letters were drawn and cut. This is a type of lettering.

Da'Aryan Trags - were used to convey the multidimensionality and imagery of the runes.

Kh'Aryan Karuna (runic, runic, runic) - used by priests, consisted of 256 runes, which formed the basis of the Devanagari and Sanskrit languages.

Rasen Molvitsy - Etruscan writing.

Now there is enough evidence that Slavic tribes and peoples settled throughout the Earth long before Christianity. That’s why anthropologists often find blue-eyed Hindus in India, Kalash in Pakistan, or mummies of European appearance among archaeological excavations in China. Therefore, Aryan writing can also be vaguely called Slavic, or Slavic-Aryan, whichever is more convenient for you to understand. The ethnic identity closest to the Slavs of modern Russia and adjacent countries is Glagolitic and Initial letters, as well as Runes, Traits and Res.

What is special about Slavic writing and culture?

The Glagolitic alphabet was most often used to seal business relationships in trade matters. She drew up contracts and other papers confirming the concluded transaction. In confirmation of this, today there remains a fairly large number of ancient treaties written down in the Slavic Glagolitic alphabet. The following words are associated with this name:

• verb - to speak;
• verb - speaking, pronouncing;
• verb - we speak;
• verb - action.

The initial letter, as the head part of words, had different writing styles. As an example, we can cite the following several options for the artistic depiction of ancient letters:

Ostromir initial letters – taken from the Ostromir Gospel (1056-1057)

teratological (or animal) style - the image of the letter included features of animals and birds

initials - colored letters, which depicted, in addition to fantastic animals, also human characters (about 800)

Ottonian style of the Western Slavs - large letters, with gilding and patterned weaves

illustrated initial letter - each capital letter was illustrated with different fairy-tale characters and themes

filigree beeches (from the ancient name - “beeches”, and not “letters” from the All-World Charter of Shubin-Abramov Ananiy Fedorovich) - the letters were decorated with the finest patterns

Guslitsky style - comes from the Old Believer settlement of Guslitsy

Vetkovsky style in Belarus

There are many options for depicting Slavic letters. Our Slavic ancestors were famous masters of arts and crafts. Therefore, letters could be depicted by scribes with a creative approach. The main feature of the initial letter is that it formed the basis of such known languages ​​as Latin (Latin alphabet) and English.

The worldview of the Slavs was changed even by modifying the written language. If previously letters and words were perceived three-dimensionally with a semantic and figurative-symbolic load, now they are perceived on a plane, faceless, carrying only sounds that form words.

Researchers of Slavic mythology believe that such a transfer of perception from three-dimensional “holographic” to planar writing began approximately from the time of the Germanization of Rus'. Apparently, the influence of the West has always been fatal for Russians and Slavs in general, which is why the leading Russian minds of the times of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy mentioned it so often.

When is the day of Slavic writing celebrated?

Slavic culture in historical data has undergone various changes. This suggests that scientists have not yet stopped their research - new discovered artifacts are being studied. The date when the writing of the Slavs and their culture was celebrated also changed. Slavic mythology and history itself does not confirm the fact that the ancient Slavs celebrated some special day dedicated to their writing. However, it is worth considering the appearance of similar events at a later time, approximately when Christianity came to Rus'.

Most often this date was associated with Cyril and Methodius. It was during those times that they began to set aside a specific day on which the merits of these two reverend fathers were remembered. Only the date changed:

• May 11 – Christian educators were remembered by the “Thessaloniki Brothers”;
• May 24 – Bulgarians today, along with these two saints, also remember their culture;
• July 5 – in the Czech Republic;
• January 30 - residents of Russia remembered Slavic writing and culture at the instigation of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR (1991).

May 24- a generally accepted holiday in Slavic culture and writing. It was declared the “Day of Slavic Culture and Literature” in 1985, when the 1100th anniversary of the death of Methodius was celebrated in the USSR. Therefore, today this holiday is presented entirely from the point of view of the Orthodox Church. However, those who remember and honor the heritage of the more ancient ancestors of the Slavs still revere the Old Slovenian Letter. On this day, ancient letters are drawn on the asphalt, in underground passages, in squares, everywhere in the cities of the country.

In academic circles, some believe that the Slavs once had one language, but there were many ways to display it on any medium. Letters could be written on metal (coins, jewelry), birch bark, leather, and stone. The peculiarity of Slavic writing is that it, first of all, carried Svetorussian (in some reading - “Holy Russian”) images. Simply put, we understand that this was a figurative letter, not a flat one, carrying a deeper meaning than just sound.

On May 24, Russia celebrates the “Day of Slavic Literature and Culture.” The history of the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. It should be said that this is a holiday of Christian enlightenment, a holiday of native words, native books, native literature, native culture. By learning various sciences in our native language, we, in the words of the ancient Russian chronicler, are reaping what was sown by the most ancient enlighteners of Rus', who adopted writing from the first teachers of the Slavic peoples - Saints Cyril and Methodius.

For the first time, the day of Slavic writing began to be celebrated in Bulgaria in 1857. In Russia - in 1863. In our country, the holiday of Slavic writing and culture was revived in 1986 in Murmansk under the leadership of the writer Vitaly Semenovich Maslov. Since 1991, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the holiday was given state status.

All Slavs who preserve Orthodoxy and Orthodox culture sacredly honor Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. For more than a thousand years, in all Orthodox churches in Russia, at every festive church service, Saints Cyril and Methodius are remembered and glorified as the first “Slovenian teachers.” The veneration of the enlighteners of the Slavic peoples especially intensified in Russia in the 19th century. This was facilitated by a number of significant anniversaries, as well as the participation of the Russian people in the liberation movement of the Balkan peoples.

For the first time, the Bulgarians came up with the initiative to hold a holiday of Slavic writing in 1857. On the initiative of the same Bulgaria, this holiday is celebrated in other “Cyrillic” countries: Serbia, Montenegro, even in the Catholic Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Now in Russia, as well as in many former Soviet republics, cultural events and celebrations are held on this occasion. But only in Bulgaria is this a holiday of national scale: this day is a non-working day, everyone goes to festive services, demonstrations, religious processions, and concerts.

In Russia, the Day of Slavic Literature was first celebrated in 1863. Unfortunately, this tradition lasted only a few decades.

In 1869, it was 1000 years since the death of St. Constantine-Cyril. In all Slavic countries, solemn services were held for the Slavic first teachers, poets dedicated poems to them, and composers composed songs of praise in their honor and memory.

In 1877, the war between Russia and Turkey began for the liberation of the Balkan countries. Russia took an active part in liberating the Bulgarian people of the same faith from Turkish rule, and the Russian army sacrificed the lives of many of its best warriors to the altar of victory. The unity of the two Orthodox peoples was sealed by Slavic blood shed at the Danube, on Shipka and near Plevna. On February 19 (March 3, Gregorian style), 1878, a peace treaty was signed under the walls of Constantinople, in San Stefano, which proclaimed “truth and freedom where previously lies and slavery reigned.”

The liberation of the Bulgarian people from the Ottoman yoke gave rise to the celebration of the “Day of Cyril and Methodius” (or, as this day is called in Bulgaria, the “Feast of Letters”) precisely because the national revival of the Bulgarians in the 19th century is directly related to the revival of national writing, school education and the Bulgarian culture in general. On May 24, on the day of remembrance of Saints Cyril and Methodius, it has become a tradition to hold demonstrations, literary evenings, and concerts every year throughout Bulgaria.

1885 marked the 1000th anniversary of the death of Saint Methodius. On this date, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church sent out a special holiday Message throughout Russia, which spoke of the great feat of the first teachers of the Slavic peoples. P.I. Tchaikovsky wrote a hymn in honor of Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Since 1901, by order of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, May 11 (24) has become a holiday for many educational institutions in Russia. By this day, classes ended in many schools, solemn prayers were served, and festive concerts and evenings were held.

After the revolution of 1917, the memory of Cyril and Methodius was preserved only by the Church and Russian Slavists who studied the scientific heritage of Cyril and Methodius.

Two significant anniversaries of the 20th century passed almost unnoticed by the general public: in 1969 - the 1100th anniversary of the death of St. Cyril, and in 1985 - the 1100th anniversary of the death of St. Methodius.

Only since 1963 in the Soviet Union (the year of the 1100th anniversary of the creation of the Slavic alphabet) scientific conferences dedicated to this holiday began to be held, and even then irregularly.

Murmansk writer Vitaly Semenovich Maslov (1935-2001) was one of the first who advocated for the revival of the tradition of holding holidays of Slavic writing already in 1980, but he managed to implement this only in 1986 in Murmansk. At the first holiday, it was decided to choose a new city every year as the center of the celebrations - a kind of capital of the holiday, in which this day is celebrated especially solemnly. In 1987 it was already Vologda, in 1988 - Novgorod, 1989 - Kyiv, 1990 - Minsk.

The significant year 1991 also became the year in the history of the holiday when, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of January 30, May 24 was declared a public holiday - the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. This year the holiday took place in Smolensk. In 1992, Moscow became the center of celebrations, in 1993 - Chersonese, 1994 - Thessaloniki, 1995 - Belgorod, 1996 - Orel, 1997 - Kostroma, 1998 - Pskov, 1999 - Yaroslavl, 2000 - Ryazan, 2001 - Kaluga, 2002 - Novosibirsk, 2003 – Voronezh, 2004 – Samara, in 2005 – Rostov-on-Don.

Day of Slavic Literature and Culture celebrated everywhere. In terms of its content, the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture has long been the only state-church holiday in Russia. By decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna has been co-chairman of the Organizing Committee of the holiday for several years.

With good reason we can talk about the uniqueness of this holiday of spirituality, held with the Russian Orthodox Church. Without a doubt, he represents a significant phenomenon in the cultural and political life of the entire Slavic world. An appeal to the origins of the national cultures of the Slavic peoples, their close relationship emphasizes the organic unity and at the same time the diversity of Slavic cultural traditions.

In recent years, a structure has been formed and the main events of the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture have been determined. Every year, regardless of the day of the week, the administration of the region hosting the holiday declares May 24 a day off. In the morning, in the main church of the city, the Divine Liturgy is served in honor of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, followed by a procession of the festival participants. On one of the central squares, festively decorated and equipped for this occasion, addresses to an audience of thousands were heard from the main organizers of the holiday: the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, as well as the co-chairs of the Organizing Committee - a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church and the head of the regional administration. As part of the holiday, an open lesson is held for students of schools, secondary and higher educational institutions.

The International Scientific Conference “Slavic World: Community and Diversity” is traditionally held. On this day, grandiose folk festivals are held on the streets and squares of cities in museums of wooden architecture, in protected architectural ensembles. As a rule, almost all folk art groups of the city and region take part in them.

A unique artistic highlight of the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is the original evening ceremonial event, taking place in the open air in the most significant historical part of the city. The Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is a holiday of Christian enlightenment, a holiday of native words, native books, native literature, native culture. By learning various sciences in our native language, we, in the words of the ancient Russian chronicler, are reaping what was sown by the most ancient enlighteners of Rus', who adopted writing from the first teachers of the Slavic peoples - Saints Cyril and Methodius.

Day of Slavic Literature and Culture

The purpose of the lesson:

Reveal the meaning of the holiday: Day of Slavic Literature and Culture

Lesson objectives:

1. Instill in children a love of their native word, native language, and national history.

2.Introduce students to the origins of the creation of the Slavic alphabet.

3. To foster respect for the creators of the Cyrillic alphabet and national pride in the language.

Equipment:

Computer, presentation.

During the classes

Teacher's word:

Today we will talk about our history, about the emergence of Slavic writing. Every year on May 24, Russia celebrates the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. A nation, people, and state cannot live without culture, literacy, and writing.

On May 24, the Slavic peoples - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Czechs, Slovaks, Poles - celebrate a special holiday - “Day of Slavic Writing”.

Across broad Rus' - our mother -

The bells ring out.

Now the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius

They are glorified for their labors

Remember Cyril and Methodius -

Glorious brothers, equal to the apostles

In Belarus, Macedonia,

In Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The wise brothers are praised in Bulgaria,

In Ukraine, Croatia, Serbia.

All the peoples who write in Cyrillic,

What have been called Slavic since ancient times,

They glorify the feat of the first teachers,

Christian enlighteners.

Fair-haired and gray-eyed,

Everyone is bright in face and glorious in heart,

Drevlyans, Rusichi, glades,

Tell me, who are you?

WE ARE SLAVS!

Your article is all nice,

All different and all similar,

Now you are called Russians,

Since ancient times, who are you?

WE ARE SLAVS!

Writing is a real treasure that man has mastered.

So in ancient times, people exchanged information by sending each other various objects. It turned out cumbersome and not particularly clear. When people realized that exchanging message objects was a troublesome task, they began to draw these objects.

(3, 4, 5, 6 slide. Rock paintings)

Such images were found on the walls of caves where ancient people once lived. These are the first steps of man towards the creation of writing. Gradually, people began to replace drawings with symbols.

(Slide 7. Rock symbols-letters)

Inscriptions were made on stones, rocks, and on boards. Of course, it was inconvenient to carry such “letters” over distances and these signs could be understood in different ways.

Time passed. Gradually, people moved from drawings to signs, which they began to call letters. This is how writing was born.

(slide 8. The emergence of writing)

(9, 10, 11, 12, 13 slide. Cyril and Methodius)

On the screen you see an image of two brothers in monastic robes. These are Cyril (in the world Constantine) and Methodius (in the world Michael). Who are Cyril and Methodius? (Report)

They were originally from the Macedonian city of Thessaloniki. Kirill studied theology and taught philosophy. He was called a philosopher, or in Russian a sage. Since childhood, he dreamed of writing books that were understandable to the Slavs, and for this he had to come up with Slavic letters. This turned out to be a very difficult task and Kirill alone could not cope with it. His elder brother Methodius began to help him. They worked hard and the result was the alphabet. It had 38 letters. Some of them were taken from the Greek alphabet, and some were specially invented to convey the sounds of Slavic speech. This is how the Slavic peoples received their written language - the alphabet, which was called the Cyrillic alphabet in memory of its creator. This was in the 9th century.

More than 1110 years ago, the brothers Cyril and Methodius brought the light of writing and knowledge to the lands of the Slavs. This happened in 863.

The brothers were born into a large family of a military commander who served in Thessaloniki, a town on the border of Bulgaria and Greece. Methodius was 6 years older than his brother. Since childhood, the boys knew two languages: their native Greek and Slavic, since the population of the town consisted of half Greeks and half Slavs.

Constantine, thanks to his lively and quick mind, passion for learning and diligence, received an excellent education at the imperial court. Both brothers lived a spiritual life and did not attach much importance to wealth, fame, or career. The younger brother translated and wrote, creating the alphabet, in Slavic. The eldest published books, ran a school, wrote hymns and poetic sermons.

First, Constantine depicted sounds common to the Slavs and Greeks. He tried to record each unknown sound in a different way. If the signs seemed awkward to him, he replaced them. Each letter should be simple and clear—easy to write. After all, the Slavs will need a lot of books. And the simpler the letters are, the sooner you can rewrite the book. After all, people who will write will be inept, with hands unaccustomed to writing. The letters must also be beautiful, so that a person, as soon as he sees them, immediately wants to master writing.

In connection with the advent of Slavic writing, the churches where German priests preached began to empty, and the churches where Slavic speech was heard were full. The Germans could not put up with this and outlawed the brothers and their books. That’s when the brothers and their disciples had to go to Rome. In Rome, the pope himself came out to the brothers, accepted the Slavic books, and consecrated them.

Konstantin was not destined to return to his homeland. Having become seriously ill, he took monastic vows, received the name Kirill, and died a few hours later. He remained to live with this name in the blessed memory of his descendants. Dying, Kirill said to his brother: “Here, brother, you and I were a couple in the same harness and plowed the same furrow. And I fall on the field, finishing my day. Don’t you dare leave your teaching…”

Methodius, having buried his brother, returned to the Slavs, but due to a false denunciation he was imprisoned. For two and a half years the light dimmed for the one who himself brought light to people. With great difficulty, the disciples managed to achieve the release of Methodius. His educational and teaching activities continued until his very last days.

(14, 15, 16 slides. ABC. Glagolitic and Cyrillic)

Glagolitic and Cyrillic are the first Slavic alphabet. The name of the alphabet “Glagolitic” comes from the word VERB, which means “speech”. And “Cyrillic” is named after its creator. In Ancient Rus', the Glagolitic alphabet was used to transmit church texts and existed for 3 centuries, and the Cyrillic alphabet was used in everyday writing. There are 43 letters in the Cyrillic alphabet, which later became the basis of the Russian alphabet.

(17, 18, 19, 20, 21 slides. First books)

In 988, a palace school of “book learning” was opened in Kyiv. A new center of book culture arose; the school connected Kievan Rus with European civilization.

Books in Rus' were very expensive. They were made on parchment: the skin of the sheep was soaked in lime, dried, then honey was rubbed in.

From the well, such blue depths
My Kitezh is growing, four walls,
Gilded ridge, lace shutters - apart...
The east is turning pink. Ros is illuminated.
Wooden fairy tale, lake peace,
Why do I need your shore, so lacy?
In the whimsical curves of patterned roofs?
Yes, a shepherd's horn? Yes, pipe reed?
Apparently, the archival memory began to hurt,
If there is nothing to regret in the concrete wilds -
So at least lure you from the depths,
From Cyrillic woven epic songs.
Wooden fairy tale, forgotten Ros,
You pierce my soul right through with an arrow.
And I don’t know why this is necessary,
Like water from a well, your old man...

(22, 23, 24 slide. Birch bark letters)

In Rus', another material for writing was used for a long time - birch bark. Marks were applied to birch bark using a bone rod.

Since the 10th century, literature based on the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabet has been spreading in the Old Russian language. Most often these were church books, teachings, and scientific works.

(25, 26, 27, 28, 29 slide. First books and chroniclers)

(Slide 30. The first printing presses in Rus')

Over time, more convenient machines appeared, and with them the modern alphabet.

A good book, my companion, my friend,
Leisure time with you can be interesting.
You teach to be truthful and valiant,
To understand and love nature, people.
I cherish you, I take care of you.
I can't live without a good book.

(31, 32, 33 slide. ABC)

The appearance of the letters of the Slavic alphabet helps us see the world through the eyes of our ancestors. Each letter is individual, unique and has its own name: lead, people, beeches, az, earth.

The names of the letters were supposed to remind people of words that should not be forgotten: “good”, “live”, “earth”, “people”, “peace”.

"Az" and "Buki". The result is the word "ALC."

(Slide 34. Proverbs)

This is what people say: “First “az” and “buki”, then science.” It is with the basics that the path of each of us into the world of knowledge begins.

Guys, listen to proverbs about the benefits of learning.

He who wants to know a lot needs little sleep.

Going into science means suffering.

The light stands by God's will, people live by science.

Without flour there is no science.

To think nothing means to become sour.

(Slide 35. Continue the proverb)

A total of 43 sister letters look at us from an ancient scroll. These names became the basis of the modern Russian language.

Russian language.
I love my native language!
It is clear to everyone
He is melodious
He, like the Russian people, has many faces,
As our power, mighty.
He is the language of the moon and planets,
Our satellites and rockets,
At the round table meeting
Speak it:
Unambiguous and direct
He is like the truth itself.

(36, 37 slide. Monuments to Cyril and Methodius)

In honor of the enlighteners Cyril and Methodius, a holiday was established - the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture. This holiday came to us from Bulgaria, where this tradition is already more than 100 years old. To this day, on the eve of the holiday, Bulgarians lay flowers at the monuments to Cyril and Methodius.

In our country, the holiday began to be celebrated in 1986. In 1992, sculptor V. Klykov created a monument to the Slavic enlighteners, Cyril and Methodius, which was installed in Moscow.

On May 24, all our people will celebrate the Holiday of Slavic Literature and Culture. On this day, a monument to Cyril and Methodius was unveiled on Slavyanskaya Square in Moscow. At the foot of this monument there is an Unquenchable Lamp - a sign of eternal memory. Since then, every year on May 24 we honor Cyril and Methodius.

It is a pity that we began to celebrate the Holiday of Slavic Literature very late, because in other Slavic countries this day has been celebrated a long time ago, publicly, very colorfully and truly festive.

(38, 39 slides. Saints Cyril and Methodius)

The Solun brothers Cyril and Methodius are the pride of the entire Slavic world. They said: doesn’t the sun shine for everyone, doesn’t it rain for everyone, doesn’t the earth feed everyone? All people are equal, all people are brothers, everyone is equal before the Lord, and everyone needs literacy. The Orthodox Church canonized the brothers Cyril and Methodius as saints.

In a narrow monastery cell,

In four blank walls,

About the land about ancient Russian

The story was written down by a monk.

He wrote in winter and summer,

Illuminated by dim light.

He wrote year after year

About our great people.

(N. Konchalovskaya)

And the Slavic alphabet, which was invented about two thousand years ago by the brothers Cyril and Methodius from the distant Greek town of Thessaloniki, helped to record and convey to us “the affairs of bygone days.”

(40 slide)

Two brothers, Cyril and Methodius,
We want to say thank you!
For the letters that we really need,
To teach us to read.

There are many interesting facts in the history of writing. Here are some of them.

The largest book in the world– “Super Book”, measures 2.74 x 3.07 m, weighs 252.6 kg and contains 300 pages. It was published in Denver, Colorado, USA in 1976.

Smallest book ever sold, was printed on 1x1 meter paper. This is a children's fairy tale "Old King Cole", published in 1985 in Scotland. Its pages can be carefully turned with a needle.

The smallest book in the world– until recently it was “Kobzar” by T.G. Shevchenko is a miracle of the hands of a Ukrainian engineer, created using microtechnology. It is made in a single copy and consists of twelve pages of text and two illustrations. The pages are sewn together with dyed web, and you can turn them over with the pointed end of a hair. The cover is made of immortelle petal and decorated on both sides with gold stripes. Seven such publications easily fit on the end of a match, and the book can only be read with the help of a magnifying glass. It can easily be threaded through the eye of a needle or hidden in eyelashes. Later it turned out that this little book was not the limit for miniaturists. The Zhmerinsky craftsman created a volume of poems by A.S. Pushkin with a volume of only 0.0064 cubic meters. mm! A portrait of the poet is engraved on the cover of the book. If you look at the book with the naked eye, it looks like a speck of dust, because it is 15 times smaller than a poppy seed. If you look into the microscope, you can see a rather plump volume.

The most original autograph The writer belongs to Maxim Gorky. In the spring of 1937 Italian fishermen near Palermo caught a huge turtle weighing 100 kg. Their attention was attracted by the inscription written on the shell: “Released the turtle Torto on April 1, 1922. The turtle weighs 52 kg and is 90 cm long. Toto loves sardines very much. Maksim Gorky. Capri."

The first handwritten book in Rus'- “Chimes”. Started publishing in 1621. by order of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich. The contents of the newspaper were considered a state secret, since it contained excerpts from foreign newspapers about various events in Europe. The Chimes were read only by the Tsar and his immediate circle. The newspaper was published in a single copy.

The first printed newspaper in Rus'– “Vedomosti” began to be published by decree of Peter 1 and was intended for the mass reader.

The oldest library in the world is a collection of clay books from King Ashurbanipal of Nineveh (7th century BC).

The very first library in Rus' was created by Yaroslav the Wise in Kyiv in the St. Sophia Cathedral in 1037.

The largest library in the world– Library of Congress in Washington.

The largest library in Russia– Russian State Library in Moscow.