Editing Cyril and Methodius (section)

===Saints Cyril and Methodius' Day===
[[File:Cross Procession in Novosibirsk 04.jpg|thumbnail|250px|Saints Cyril and Methodius procession]]
Compared to nowadays, the process leading to [[canonization]] was less involved in the decades following Cyril's death. Cyril was regarded by his disciples as a saint soon after his death. His following spread among the nations he evangelized, and subsequently to the wider Christian Church. With his brother Methodius, he was famous as a man of holiness. From the crowds lining the Roman streets during his funeral procession, there were calls for Cyril to be accorded saintly status. The brothers' first appearance in a papal document is in ''Grande Munus'' of Leo XIII in 1880. They are known as the "Apostles of the Slavs", and are still highly regarded by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Their [[feast day]] is currently celebrated on 14 February in the Catholic Church (to coincide with the date of St Cyril's death); on 11 May in the Eastern Orthodox Church (though for Eastern Orthodox Churches which use the [[Julian Calendar]] this is 24 May according to the [[Gregorian calendar]]); and on 7 July according to the old sanctoral calendar before the revisions of the [[Second Vatican Council]]. The celebration also commemorates the introduction of literacy and the preaching of the gospels in the Slavonic language by the brothers. The brothers were declared "Patrons of Europe" in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hri.org/Martis/contents/doc19.html|title=Nikolaos Martis: MACEDONIA|website=www.hri.org|access-date=2 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502164052/http://www.hri.org/Martis/contents/doc19.html|archive-date=2 May 2018}}</ref>

The first recorded secular celebration of Saints Cyril and Methodius' Day as the "Day of the Bulgarian script", as traditionally accepted by [[Bulgarian history]], was held in the town of [[Plovdiv]] on 11 May 1851. At the same time a local Bulgarian school was named "Saints Cyril and Methodius". Both acts had been instigated by the prominent Bulgarian educator [[Nayden Gerov]].<ref>"История на България", Том 6 Българско Възраждане 1856–1878, Издателство на Българската академия на науките, София, 1987, стр. 106 (in Bulgarian; in English: "History of Bulgaria", Volume 6 Bulgarian Revival 1856–1878, Publishing house of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1987, page 106).</ref> However, an Armenian traveller referred to a "celebration of the Bulgarian script" when he visited the town of [[Shumen]] on 22 May 1803.<ref>Jubilee speech of the Academician Ivan Yuhnovski, Head of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, held on 23 May 2003, published in [http://195.96.224.7/basnews/bulletin/Bul62.pdf Information Bulletin] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203045117/http://195.96.224.7/basnews/bulletin/Bul62.pdf |date=3 December 2007 }} of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 3(62), Sofia, 27 June 2003 (in Bulgarian).</ref>

Cyril and Methodius are [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] in the [[Church of England]] with a [[Lesser Festival (Anglicanism)|Lesser Festival]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=2021-03-27|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref> and with a lesser feast on the [[Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church)|Episcopal Church calendar]]<ref name="teccalendar" /> on [[February 14|14 February]].

The day is now celebrated as a [[public holiday]] in the following countries:

* In [[Bulgaria]] it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "[[Day of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture|Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Script Day]]" (Bulgarian: Ден на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост), a [[Public holidays in Bulgaria|national holiday]] celebrating [[Culture of Bulgaria|Bulgarian culture]] and [[Bulgarian literature|literature]] as well as the alphabet. It is also known as "Alphabet, Culture, and Education Day" (Bulgarian: Ден на азбуката, културата и просвещението). Saints Cyril and Methodius are patrons of the National Library of Bulgaria. There is a monument to them in front of the library. Saints Cyril and Methodius are the most celebrated saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox church, and icons of the two brothers can be found in every church.
* In [[North Macedonia]], it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners' Day" ({{langx|mk|Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на словенските просветители}}), a [[Public holidays in North Macedonia|national holiday]]. The Government of the Republic of Macedonia enacted a statute of the national holiday in October 2006 and the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia passed a corresponding law at the beginning of 2007.<ref>Announcement about the eleventh session of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia on 24 October 2006 from the [http://www.vlada.mk/sednici/Oktomvri2006/sednica24-10-2006.htm official site] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610142420/http://www.vlada.mk/sednici/Oktomvri2006/sednica24-10-2006.htm |date=10 June 2008 }} of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia (in Macedonian).</ref> Previously it had only been celebrated in the schools. It is also known as the day of the "[[Thessaloniki|Solun]] Brothers" ({{langx|mk|Солунските браќа}}).
* In the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]], the two brothers were originally commemorated on 9 March, but [[Pope Pius IX]] changed this date to 5 July for several reasons.<ref name="CMHoliday"/> Today, Saints Cyril and Methodius are revered there as national saints and their name day (5 July), "Sts Cyril and Methodius Day" is a [[Public holidays in the Czech Republic|national holiday in Czech Republic]] and [[National holidays in Slovakia|Slovakia]]. In the Czech Republic it is celebrated as "Slavic Missionaries Cyril and Methodius Day" (Czech: Den slovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a Metoděje); in [[Slovakia]] it is celebrated as "St. Cyril and Metod Day" (Slovak: Sviatok svätého Cyrila a Metoda).<ref name="CMHoliday">{{cite web |url=http://www.pitt.edu/~votruba/qsonhist/cmholiday.html |title=Holiday date |access-date=11 March 2009 |last=Votruba |first=Martin |work=Slovak Studies Program |publisher=University of Pittsburgh |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514063632/http://www.pitt.edu/~votruba/qsonhist/cmholiday.html |archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref>
* In [[Russia]], it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Slavonic Literature and Culture Day" (Russian: День славянской письменности и культуры), celebrating Slavonic culture and literature as well as the alphabet. Its celebration is ecclesiastical (11 May in the Church's [[Julian calendar]]). It is not a public holiday in Russia.

The saints' [[feast day]] is celebrated by the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] on 11 May and by the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]] and the [[Anglican Communion]] on 14 February as "[[Saints Cyril and Methodius Day]]". The [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Churches]] of Western Christianity commemorate the two saints either on 14 February or 11 May. The [[Byzantine Rite Lutheranism|Byzantine Rite Lutheran Churches]] celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius Day on 24 May.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ukrlc.org/?p=227|title=День Св. Кирила та Мефодія, просвітителів слов'янських|date=24 May 2014|publisher=[[Ukrainian Lutheran Church]]|language=uk|access-date=19 September 2018}}</ref>