Every year on May 24, Ukraine and other Slavic nations celebrate the Day of Slavic Literacy and Culture, honoring saints Cyril and Methodius, the founders of Slavic script and spiritual guardians of Europe.

The roots of the Slavic language date back to the 9th century

Around 862 AD, two brothers from Byzantium — Cyril (Constantine) and Methodius — created the first alphabet for Slavic languages. Cyril, having taken monastic vows, adapted the Greek alphabet to represent the unique phonetic system of the Slavic languages. This led to the emergence of two writing systems: Glagolitic and Cyrillic, the latter named after Cyril and serving as the foundation for many Slavic languages, including Ukrainian.

Their efforts went beyond merely creating an alphabet. At Methodius's initiative, they translated significant portions of the Bible into Slavic, authored original works, spread Christianity, and opened the first schools at churches.

This laid the groundwork for the development of literary languages and the book tradition of the Slavic peoples.

Interestingly, the first celebration in honor of Cyril and Methodius was recorded in the Czech Republic in 1349, and in Bulgaria in 1851. In Ukraine, the Day of Slavic Literacy has been officially recognized since 2004. Moreover, the first Ukrainian political organization, the Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood (1845–1846), was named in their honor.

The Old Slavic language developed by the brothers was based on the dialect of the present-day Thessaloniki region. It was not spoken in daily communication but became the literary language for written sources. It lacked a present tense but included four past tense forms and three future tense forms.

One of the oldest accurately dated books written in Cyrillic is the "Ostromir Gospel," created in 1056–1057. By then, writing already played a crucial role in preserving and transmitting knowledge and forming national consciousness.

A symbolic quote from Cyril states: "To enlighten a people without the script of their language is like writing on water." This encapsulates the essence of why language, the presence of a unique alphabet, and literacy remain so vital.