The national celebrations for the 1162nd anniversary of the arrival of Cyril and Methodius of Thessalonica to the territory of Great Moravia culminated on Sunday at Devín Castle near Bratislava.
In his speech, President Peter Pellegrini stressed that public holidays should not be appropriated because they belong to all citizens. We should celebrate them all in their diversity - as they are a complex of our identity: “If an atheist or a liberal has lived through this holiday and honoured it as it should be, a conservative is able to celebrate May Day, and likewise social democrats and leftists are and will be able to celebrate November 17.”
Parliamentary chair Richar Raši (HLAS-SD) called for getting inspired by the two saints in domestic as well as international politics. According to Robert Fico (Smer-SD), Slovakia would not have its independence or sovereignty without Cyril and Methodius’s mission. He reiterated that: “An iron curtain is becoming reality. Relationships have been broken and anybody who shows any interest in understanding what is going on behind the curtain is immediately accused of betraying European values.”
According to the premier, the European Union and the whole world nowadays lack personalities comparable to the brothers, adding that Cyril and Methodius were a symbol of unity.
The opposition was absent from the celebrations - according to them, the Prime Minister misused the celebrations to spread his political propaganda. Prior to the event, opposition parties criticised the allocated €750.000. According to Marian Viskupič of SaS, this was a demonstration of what it looks like when the government privatises a holiday. “A state holiday belongs to every single citizen as said by President. The reality was totally different. In fact, Robert Fico made the event for himself and his 300 closest allies, while the public was left behind the fence,” stated Viskupič.
Political scientist Tomáš Koziak stated that the nature of these celebrations contradicts the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius. "Either the Prime Minister misunderstood the legacy of Cyril and Methodius and it did not belong there, or he did it on purpose,” said Koziak, adding that it was completely contrary to what the President said at the celebrations, namely that nobody should appropriate them.
Source: STVR
