Foreign Slovaks Day 2023: Foreign Slovaks Day is annually observed on July 5. This day commemorates Slovaks who left their homeland for various reasons and at various periods. This holiday also coincides with the Roman Catholic celebration of Saints Cyril and Methodius, two Byzantine brothers who were missionaries among the Slavic peoples.
Foreign Slovaks Day is observed not only in Slovakia, but also in Slovak communities around the globe as a way to maintain ties with their homeland. Therefore, regardless of your location or country of residence, you can always participate in the celebration.
HISTORY OF FOREIGN SLOVAKS DAY
The feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius was instituted as a Roman Catholic holiday by Pope Leo XIII in 1880. Despite the fact that the Day of Foreign Slovaks is not a religious holiday, it was intentionally celebrated on this day because of the great missionary activity of these two saints.
The brothers Cyril and Methodius were Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. Due to their efforts to evangelise the Slavs, they are also known as “Apostles of the Slavs.” In 862, the brothers began the work that would give them historical significance. In the same year, Prince Rostislav of Great Moravia requested missionaries to evangelise his Slavic subjects from Emperor Michael III and Patriarch Photius. Later in 863, they began translating the Gospels and necessary liturgical books into what is now known as Old Slavonic and travelled to Great Moravia to propagate the language. In this regard, the brothers have achieved considerable accomplishment. For this objective, they created the first alphabet used for Slavic manuscripts: the Glagolitic alphabet. Glagolitic matched the characteristics of the Slavic language. Cyrillic, his descendant script, is still used in numerous languages.
In Great Moravia, the first Slavic Civil Code was written by the brothers. Church Slavonic, also known as Old Slavonic, is still used in the liturgy by a number of Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic congregations. It is impossible to ascertain what was translated by the brothers. It appears that the New Testament and the Psalms came first, followed by the other Old Testament commandments.
Foreign Slovaks Day was instituted by the Slovak Parliament in 2000, coinciding with the laying of a memorial stone in Bratislava commemorating Slovak emigration.
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Five Slovak facts that will blow your mind
It contains over 6,000 caverns.
The national parks with the most impressive caverns are the Low Tatras, Slovak Paradise, and Slovak Karst.
Its capital is adjacent to two sovereign nations.
Bratislava, the metropolis of Slovakia, borders Austria and Hungary.
Geographical equator of Europe
It is situated near the Slovakian village of Kremnické Bane, adjacent to the St. John the Baptist Church.
It is a tourist idyll.
There are nine national parks and fourteen protected landscape areas, as well as spectacular locations like wild canyons, the Low Tatras with lush alpine meadows, and the Little Fatra and Pieniny valleys.
More than 1,300 mineral springs exist.
The majority of these extraordinary mineral water and thermal springs are actively utilised for medical and health purposes.
FOREIGN SLOVAKS DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | July 5 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | July 5 | Friday |
| 2025 | July 5 | Saturday |
| 2026 | July 5 | Sunday |
| 2027 | July 5 | Monday |
