24^th May, the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Culture, Education and Slavonic Literature, was celebrated in the Bulgarian Cultural Club in Midrand. Ambassador Maria Pavlova and the staff of the Embassy joined the festivities, organized by the Association of the Bulgarians in the RSA. Reverend Yonko Ivanov conducted a special service.

Ambassador Pavlova addressed the community, highlighting the pan-Slavic and European dimension of the work of the Saints Cyril and Methodius, as well as the significance of the “Holiday of the Letters” as the most loved and spontaneously celebrated Bulgarian holiday. She emphasized the role of the literacy, culture and knowledge for the formation of the Bulgarian national identity and the preservation of the Bulgarian people over the centuries.  The Ambassador praised the key contribution of the Bulgarian Sunday School “Slancho”, which in the spirit of the best revival traditions teaches the mother tongue and instills patriotism in the Bulgarian children tens of thousands of kilometers away from the homeland.

Тhe children from Sunday School “Slancho” and Dance Ansemble “Balgarska roza” presented а festive program, which included a recital of Bulgarian poems, dance and music performances.

At the initiative of the Embassy and with the assistance of the State Cultural Institute, the film “Life Story of Dimitar Peshev”, was shown to the attendees in commemoration of the 80^th anniversary of the heroic saving of the Bulgarian Jewish minority during World War II. The screening attracted the interest of the Bulgarian community and provoked discussions about the necessity of organizing subsequent cultural and historical initiatives at the Bulgarian Cultural Club.