A special event station signing LZ2009KM was activated by a group of members of Bulgarian Federation of Radio Amateurs on all bands and modes between 1 and 31 May 2009 to celebrate national St. Cyril (Kiril) and Methodius day - creators of Cyrillic alphabet.

Total number of contacts in the log of LZ2009KM is 13472 QSO’s with 10269 different calls.

The operator’s team was: LZ1BJ – 9157 QSOs; LZ3FN – 2068 QSOs; LZ2PEP – 724 QSOs; LZ2UW – 598 QSOs; LZ1PJ – 581 QSOs; LZ1ZF – 300 QSOs; LZ4BU – 44 QSOs.

QSL via LZ QSL Bureau to LZ1PJ. Direct requests (to Ivan Ivanov, P.O.Box 15, BG-1324 Sofia, Bulgaria) should include SAE plus sufficient postage (EU 1$/1IRC, DX 2$/1IRC). Bureau cards may be requested via e-mail to lz1pj@qsl.net. [if you send request via e-mail, no need to send your QSL too]

The Bulgarian language belongs to the South Slavic branch of the Slavic languages and uses the Cyrillic alphabet.

The history of the language covers three periods: old (9th century - 11th century), middle (12th century - 14th century), and modern (15th century through present day). The modern literary language was formed during the Bulgarian National Revival (18th - 19th centuries).

The Bulgarian language is unique among the Slavic languages for several reasons. The definite article is added as a suffix, coming after the noun. It has lost the case system from Common Slavic and prepositions have replaced cases to show the relationships between parts of a sentence. The language has 9 tenses, but the infinitive verb form no longer exists.

The Cyrillic alphabet was developed by St. St. Cyril and Methodius in late 9th century. It is used in Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Mongolia and some CIS countries.

Cyril and Methodius were two brothers, who lived during the 9th century (over a thousand years ago!), when Bulgaria was being shaped as a country. The people spoke in Bulgarian but didn't have an alphabet and couldn't write.

Before the 9th century Bulgaria and other parts of the area around the Mediterranean and Black Sea, were parts of the Roman Empire. While the Romans were losing power (3rd to 4th Century), tribes from Asia started an invasion of Europe. One of these tribes, called the Bulgars, reached this area and gradually mixed with the local population. The Bulgar king united all the different tribes into the first Bulgarian empire in 681.

Cyril and Methodius lived at that time. They were Christian monks of the Orthodox Church, who taught their students a new alphabet that they could use to read and write in Bulgarian. In 863 they created the new alphabet in order to reflect the specific structure and phonetics of the Bulgarian language.

The "Cyrillic alphabet," as it is now called, became very popular in the 9th through 11th centuries, when it helped spread Christianity to other parts of Eastern Europe. "Old Church Slavonic", another name for the early alphabet, is an important part of the literature of the Orthodox Church.

The Bulgarians are very proud of the two brothers, who have created the base of the modern Bulgarian language. One of the biggest Bulgarian holidays celebrates the honor of Cyril and Methodius. May 24th is also known as "Day of Bulgarian Culture" and is a time for concerts and celebrations.