Alphabet soup of a different sort

After the accession of Bulgaria, the European Union has become richer not only in terms of culture, but also in language, as Bulgaria is the first member state to employ the distinctive Cyrillic writing system rather than the Latin alphabet. An exhibition opening this week at the Bulgarian Culture Institute, "Cyrillic - the New Alphabet of the European Union" (Cyrylica - Nowy Alfabet Unii Europejskiej) aims to introduce this language to a broader audience.

Opening on Thursday - which is also the Bulgarian day celebrating Slavonic culture, language and literature - the exposition will present some of the oldest relics of Bulgarian writing and show its development and history. On this day special awards will be given by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture to people who have contributed to the spread of Bulgarian culture and language abroad.

The Cyrillic alphabet was developed by two missionaries, brothers St. Cyril and

St. Methodius of Thessaloniki, who proselytized in the territories of Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria. Their alphabet derived from Greek letters but was adjusted to the phonetics of the local speech.

"They both contributed greatly to the dialog between Eastern and Western parts of Europe," says Boriana Puncheva, the director of the Bulgarian Culture Institute

The exhibition is part of a series of events promoting Bulgarian culture which began in April and will continue until the end of June. These events include films, workshops and exhibitions in several parts of Poland.

The exhibition opens May 24 at 6 pm at the Bulgarian Culture Institute, al. Ujazdowskie 33/35, in Warsaw, and runs until June 10. For more information log onto www.bikpolska.pl