On September 17th, Belarus celebrates National Unity Day. It is simply a comparatively fresh state vacation established by the decree of president Alexander Lukashenko of 7 June 2021. In the authoritative communicative of the authorities, this date symbolizes the unification of Western and east Belarus, which occurred on September 17, 1939, erstwhile the Red Army attacked the territories of east Poland under the secret agreement contained in the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.
Although it was the day of the russian aggression against Poland, it is presented in Minsk as a minute of “re-establishment of historical justice”. This day remains a working day, but all year it is accompanied by authoritative state luminaire, ceremony and ceremony of advanced state honours.
President Aleksandr Lukashenko, speaking on this occasion, stressed that on September 17, 1939 it was a landmark minute in the past of Belarus, which ended the division of the nation and enabled its further improvement as a whole.
"From the position of the decades passed, on September 17, 1939, erstwhile the artificial and shameful border between Western and east Belarus was abolished, it is seen as an act of restoring historical justice – and so it was," Lukashenko said at the ceremony of awarding awards at the Palace of Independence.
As he pointed out, this event “forever connected an age and a generation of invisible thread”. In his speech, the president did not mention to the occupying character of the russian invasion of Kresy, but, on the contrary, presented them as a settlement of past and the foundation of modern Belarusian statehood.
During the ceremony, Lukashenko presented state awards to representatives of different environments – from industrial workers, farmers, builders, to military, officers, scientists, people of culture and athletes.
"In the atmosphere of Christmas, we present well-deserved awards to those who build our country all day. They are the surviving symbol of the continuity of generations and the unity of the nation," he said.
He addressed peculiar words of appreciation to farmers who, as he stressed, finished the harvest period with excellent results. Teachers, lawyers and artists were besides distinguished.
"It is hard to overestimate your contribution to the preservation of moral values, cultural traditions and the upbringing of the young generation," the president pointed out.
From the point of view of the Belarusian authorities, National Unity Day is presently taking place among the most crucial state holidays – alongside triumph Day and independency Day. authoritative communicative refers to it as "a cornerstone of national unity and cohesion". Lukashenka repeatedly reiterated that 1 of the main tasks of the state is to strengthen the national identity of Belarusians based on the "historical truth" and "continuity of history".
However, the decision to establish this vacation was met with harsh criticism both at home and abroad. The day after the decree was announced, on 8 June 2021, the Ministry of abroad Affairs of the Republic of Poland issued a firm message in which it defined this act as "Glorification of russian heritage and an effort to cut Belarus off from its actual roots". The Ministry assessed that this vacation is part of Russia's efforts to re-interpret the hard past of the region, which, as noted, "Belarus' dialog and agreement with neighbouring countries and another European countries will seriously impede."
A critical position was besides taken by the Institute of National Memory, which called National Unity Day "the feast of the unity of the 2 totalitarians". According to the IPN, the celebration of September 17 as an act of unification omits the context of a violent russian invasion, which was part of an agreement between 2 criminal regimes: Hitler and Stalin. It was recalled that as a consequence of russian entry into east Poland, mass repression, deportations and purges began – besides towards the Belarusian population.
In Belarus alone, this vacation besides creates divisions. For the opposition and part of civilian society, it is not a day of unity, but a symbol of sovietisation, slavery and failure of sovereignty. Independent historians remind us of the effects of russian business – the liquidation of the structures of the Second Polish Republic, exports to Siberia, executions, rusification and attempts to destruct local traditions and identities. From this perspective, September 17 is no day of justice, but the beginning of the tragedy of thousands.
Despite this, the authorities are consistently building around this date a fresh identity story, in which Belarus appears as an heiress of an indivisible historical-political space, combined with russian intervention. The Day of National Unity thus becomes not only a symbol of the past, but besides a tool for legitimizing the current regime, which by means of historical policy tries to form social awareness. Authorities usage past as an ideological weapon – the past ceases to be a field of reflection and becomes a material for forming loyal citizens.
The Day of National Unity is so much more than the fresh vacation on the calendar. This is simply a clear signal that Alexander Lukashenko's government not only cuts off from the European cultural circle, but actively fits into the russian communicative about the past of the 20th century. It is besides an effort to show that Belarus has its way, its version of past and its own definitions of "justice" – even if they conflict with the experience of neighbours and the memory of victims of totalitarianism.
