Independence Day (Belarus)

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Independence Day
Дзень Незалежнасці (
3 July
Next time3 July 2024 (2024-07-03)
FrequencyAnnual

Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus (

independence day of Belarus
and is celebrated each year on 3 July. Independence Day is a non-working day.

History

Soldiers on Victors Avenue during a parade in honor of independence day in 2017
A speech by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during the Independence Day celebrations on Victory Square in 2010

3 July 1944 was the day of Soviet liberation of

Minsk Offensive (code-named "Bagration"). The decision to celebrate Independence Day on 3 July, the day of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazis, from 27 July, the day of the Declaration of Sovereignty of Belarus in breaking away from the Soviet Union, was made during a controversial national referendum held in 1996 proposed by President Alexander Lukashenko.[1] Prior to the 1996 change, July 3 was celebrated locally in Minsk as simply Minsk Day.[citation needed
]

Since

the August events in Moscow, the Byelorussian SSR gave the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic constitutional status.[1]

On 19 September 1991, the Permanent Representative of the Byelorussian SSR

Secretary General of the United Nations that the country would officially henceforth be known simply as "Belarus".[3]

On 10 December 1991, the Supreme Soviet of Belarus

Belavezha Accords, which formally declared the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[4] Independence was formally received 26 December 1991 in connection with the collapse of the Soviet Union.[citation needed
]

Controversy

There is a public debate in Belarus regarding the appropriate date to be considered Independence Day.[2] Since the early 1920s, various Belarusian political movements and the Belarusian diaspora have been celebrating Independence Day on 25 March as the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of independence by the Belarusian Democratic Republic.[2][5] The date is still widely celebrated by members of the democratic opposition in Belarus and by the Belarusian diaspora as Freedom Day.[citation needed]

Events

Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University
.

The main event of Independence Day is a

Russian Defence Ministry conducted a fireworks display in Moscow in honor of the anniversary.[citation needed
]

In 2021, the parade was cancelled due to the

2020 Belarusian protests, with a ceremony being held at the Mound of Glory.[6]

Social events

Throughout the country celebrations and festivities are held. In the evening in Minsk fireworks are arranged. A series of concerts and events are held in Gomel, with a special emphasis on the Belarusian identity.[7] A national campaign called Let's Sing the Anthem Together (Russian: Давайте споем гимн вместе) for everyone capable to sing the national anthem (My Belarusy) at a certain time has occurred annually in recent years.[8]

For those of the Catholic faith, the religious hymn "Almighty God" (Belarusian: Magutnyj Boža) is sung at the end of mass on 3 July.[9]

State visits associated with the holiday

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko attending the inauguration of a new building in the museum in 2014.

In 1974, President

Belarusian SSR to attend celebrations in honor of the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus.[10] Attending the 2013 parade were the Presidents of Venezuela and Laos, Nicolás Maduro and Choummaly Sayasone, respectively.[11][12] In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Belarus on the eve of Independence Day, attending the inauguration of the Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum.[13] During the 2019 celebrations, Azerbaijani defense minister Zakir Hasanov, Commander Russian Western Military District Viktor Astapov, and Uzbek army chief Pavel Ergashev were in attendance.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Balmforth, Tom (August 25, 2011). "Belarus And The Independence Day That Wasn't". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Belarus' Three Independence Days Archived August 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine by Paula Borowska. BelarusDigest, July 28, 2014
  3. ^ "History, Belarus". Government of Belarus. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  4. ^ "Belavezha Accords, signed by Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, also violated by Russia". Unian Information Agency. December 8, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  5. ^ "Belarusian Independence Day in New York – proclamation by Mayor Rudi Giuliani | Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic". May 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "Участие в торжественном мероприятии у мемориального комплекса "Курган Славы" | Официальный интернет-портал Президента Республики Беларусь".
  7. ^ "Independence day celebration in Gomel". Independent Travellers. independent-travellers.com. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  8. ^ "Annual campaign Let's Sing National Anthem Together to start at 22:50".
  9. ^ "Lukašenko threatens the Catholic Church over a patriotic song (VIDEO)".
  10. ^ Times, John Herbers Special to The New York (July 2, 1974). "Nixon, in Minsk, Calls for Amity". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Minsk celebrated Independence Day with a parade of tanks, tractors and athletes – EuroBelarus". en.eurobelarus.info. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "Belarus in pictures | Belarus in photo | Belarus in images | Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro | Belarus in pictures | Belarus in photo | Belarus in images". www.belarus.by. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  13. ^ "70th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from Nazi occupation". President of Russia. July 2, 2014.
  14. ^ "В рамках празднования 75-летия освобождения Беларуси — Военный информационный портал Министерства обороны Республики Беларусь". www.mil.by.
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