On May 24 Russia marks Saints Cyril and Methodius Day. Brothers Cyril and Methodius, who lived in 9th c. AD, were Christian missionaries and the inventors of the Cyrillic alphabet, which is now used in many Slavic countries such as Russia, Bulgaria and Ukraine.
The brothers were born in Thessalonica, Macedonia, in the Byzantine Empire. They were the principal Christian missionaries among the Slavic peoples of Great Moravia and Pannonia, introducing Orthodox Christianity and writing to the hitherto illiterate, pagan Slav migrants into parts of Macedonia and elsewhere in the Balkans.
On this day a mass concert was held on Moscow's Red Square. The event was attended by Patriach of Moscow and All Russian Kirill. The churchman addressed the crowd and praised Saints Cyril and Methodius, thanks to whom the Slavic civilization emerged.
Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the holiday in St. Petersburg. He also lauded the inventors of the Cyrillic alphabet and underlined their remarkable contribution to the development of the Russian language.
