Bulgaria Celebrates Education and Culture Day at TSU
On May 24, in the inner courtyard of the Tbilisi State University (TSU), the Bulgarian Embassy to Georgia celebrated the Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture. The main event was the exposition of umbrellas on which all the 32 letters of the Bulgarian alphabet were painted. This is an important holiday, marked in different countries. It is celebrated in all schools, universities and cultural institutions of Bulgaria.
Mrs. Dessislava Ivanova, Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to Georgia, opened the event by thanking Tbilisi State University for its partnership in celebrating Bulgarian cultural events. “It is my honor to welcome you to the opening of the exhibition of Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets at the premises of the Tbilisi State University. Let me start by saying that the exhibits that I have the pleasure to present have been made by the children from the Bulgarian Association “Spiritual Mirror”, dedicated to the Holiday of Bulgarian Education and Culture. On this day, we Bulgarians celebrate the creation of our scripture. May 24 is not just another national day for us. We are proud to belong to the small number of countries who have their own alphabets like Georgians. We are also proud that in the 9th century, Bulgarians created, developed and spread this alphabet. Thanks to this, today, over 300 million people write in Cyrillic. The script is used by 50 cultures of the world and is an official script in more than 10 countries. This day is celebrated in many countries.”
The glagolitic alphabet is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. It is no longer used. As a sign of respect to the past, umbrellas, represented at Courtyard of Tbilisi State University, bore one letter of both the Cyrillic and Glagolitic alphabets. The ambassador noted that the alphabet has not only become a basis for Bulgarian literature, culture and national identity, but it was sign of the cultural prosperity of Bulgaria in the middles ages and cultural and political emancipation in the period of Bulgarian Renaissance, which laid ground for the establishment of the modern Bulgarian nation and the restoration of the statehood in the 19th century. Last but not least, in the ambassador’s words, following its accession to the EU, the Bulgarian alphabet contributed to the language and cultural diversity of Europe. “We are proud of our script, language and faith.”
The next speaker was the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Tamaz Marsagashvili: “Your Excellency Mrs. Ambassador, Ladies and Gentleman, I am honored. We are attending the celebratory event for Bulgaria, which is an important ally. The main thing for us is that Bulgaria is an EU member state. Our firm will is to become a member too as soon as possible. Bulgaria greatly supports us on this difficult journey. I have visited Sofia and Varna several times at scientific conferences. I state with pride that the scientific school of Bulgaria is one of the best in Europe, which is constantly developing. I believe that the alphabet is a tool for uniting mankind, as multiculturalism is one of the most crucial points for us. We should be respecftul of foreign cultures, and mutually unnderstand that culture is something that is integral to both our countries. I am happy that Tbilisi State University named after Ivane Javakhishvili hosts this event, which is the hearth of our culture. I have no doubt that our cooperation will continue.”
The vice-director of TSU, Mr. Mikhail Chkhenkeli, also addressed the audience, “This is indeed a very special day. It started as a celebration in the 19th century in Plovdiv. Now, it has spread worldwide. Enjoy this beautiful day!”
Tatiana Kostadinova, Director of the Association “Spiritual Mirror” commented: “This is a non-profit association. We support childrens development in all regions of Bulgaria.”
Christina, 12, from the “Spiritual Mirror” association, talked to GEORGIA TODAY: “We, a lot of girls and boys, wrote letters on umbrellas using paint. I learned in design class. I studied how to combine the colors. It was very interesting. My teacher showed me the alphabet and I chose one letter. It took me five hours. I am in Tbilisi for a week. I am very happy.”
Maka Lomadze