Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Traditions rooted in history help Belarusian people remain themselves

MINSK, 17 September (BelTA) - Traditions rooted in landmark events of history help a nation stay true to itself and preserve its identity, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the youth forum Youth. Belarus. Future, marking People’s Unity Day on 17 September, BelTA has learned.

“On this symbolically important day for us, I want you, first and foremost our young people, to remember not only the chronology of the events of 17 September 1939, but also other events. Why do we create traditions based on the landmark episodes of our history? To be ourselves. Not to lose our identity. So as not to go astray from the path charted by our predecessors, including those who held this red banner in their hands [it is displayed on the stage]. A banner preserved by underground resistance members in Grodno and Bialystok,” the head of state said.

The red banner dates back to the late 1930s and early 1940s and is believed to have been used during the liberation campaign of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and local people’s assemblies held in the Bialystok region and what is now Grodno Oblast in September 1939. The banner was found and saved during the Great Patriotic War by underground resistance members in Bialystok and Grodno.

"It became a symbol of the reunification of Belarusians and survived the Great Patriotic War. And, so that you understand, it was not preserved in a museum. It was kept in an ordinary family and passed down from generation to generation. And this is the whole truth about our history. The history of a people that knows the value of unity,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that young people need this holiday so as not to forget those who wrote the chronicle of Belarus, preserved its culture, traditions and faith, and those who united and stood up to defend them in difficult times.

“Whatever happened to us in different eras, Belarusians were, are, and will be. This is our history. The history of people’s unity,” the Belarusian leader said. “By remembering the past, we are making plans for the future. Our plans are good. We want to see our tomorrow peaceful and prosperous. For Belarus and for all parts of the world.”

The head of state congratulated everyone on the holiday, wished them happiness and called on them to cherish their native land and traditional values.