Celebrating May 24th by Bulgarian Missions and Communities Around the World with the Assistance of the State Institute for Culture
With a variety of events and cultural activities, Bulgarian diplomatic missions and Bulgarian communities around the world celebrated 24 May - the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture, and of Slavonic languages. At the heart of a number of initiatives were exhibitions, films, and cultural projects provided by the State Institute for Culture to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, reaching audiences across several continents.
The Permanent Representation of Bulgaria to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the Bulgarian Embassy in Tirana, the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Toronto, and the Bulgarian Minority Self-Government in District XII of Budapest presented the exhibition “Stories from Glagolitic Times,” provided by the State Institute for Culture as part of the “Traveling Exhibitions” program. The exhibition was created as part of the National Scientific Program “Development and Promotion of Bulgarian Studies Abroad,” funded by the Ministry of Education and Science, and was developed by the “Prof. Lyubomir Andreychin” Institute of the Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The exhibition continues to attract significant interest both in Bulgaria and abroad.
In Norway, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Oslo marked the holiday with a concert featuring Bulgarian performers and a presentation of the exhibition “Alphabet and History,” provided by the State Cultural Institute. The exhibition is a joint project of the Institute, the “Ivan Duychev” Center for Slavic-Byzantine Studies at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” and the “Elena and Ivan Duychev” Foundation. It traces the development of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets and their significance for the cultural history of the Slavic world.
The Bulgarian Embassy in Minsk presented the exhibition “Miraculous Icons and Holy Relics of the Balkans,” also provided by the State Institute for Culture. The collection of photographic panels was produced in collaboration with the “Prof. Ivan Duychev” Center for Slavic-Byzantine Studies at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, and is part of the “Traveling Exhibitions” program.
In India, the Bulgarian Embassy in Delhi organized a screening of the documentary film “The Path of Light,” provided by the State Institute for Culture. The film was produced as part of the National Scientific Program “Cultural and Historical Heritage, National Memory, and Social Development.” The event was accompanied by a presentation of the exhibition “Bulgaria from a Bird’s Eye View” by photographer Alexander Ivanov, also provided by the Institute. Thus, guests had the opportunity to learn about both Bulgaria’s rich spiritual and historical heritage and its natural and cultural treasures.
Through the exhibitions, films, and cultural projects it provided, the State Cultural Institute once again supported the global observance of May 24, contributing to the promotion of Bulgarian literacy, culture, and spiritual heritage to the international community.