The "State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus" (, "Dzjaržawny himn Respubliki Bjelarusj"), better known as "My Bjelarusy" (Belarusian and ; "We Belarusians"), is the national anthem of Belarus. It was originally written in the 1940s and adopted in 1955 for use in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The music of the Byelorussian SSR's regional anthem was composed by Niescier Sakałoŭski and the lyrics were written by Michas Klimkovič. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the music composed by Sakalowski was kept and the lyrics were discarded. New lyrics, which were written by Klimkovič and Uladzimir Karyzny, were adopted by a presidential decree issued on 2 July 2002.
Introduction
My Belarusy
My Belarusy | Introduction
Sakalowski Niescier Sakałoŭski Niescier Sakałoŭski Niescier Sakałoŭski
what is 'my belarusy'?
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It is the national anthem of Belarus.
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who composed it?
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The "State Anthem of the Republic of Belarus" (, "Dzjaržawny himn Respubliki Bjelarusj"), better known as "My Bjelarusy" (Belarusian and ; "We Belarusians"), is the national anthem of Belarus. It was originally written in the 1940s and adopted in 1955 for use in the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The music of the Byelorussian SSR's regional anthem was composed by Niescier Sakałoŭski and the lyrics were written by Michas Klimkovič. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the music composed by Sakalowski was kept and the lyrics were discarded. New lyrics, which were written by Klimkovič and Uladzimir Karyzny, were adopted by a presidential decree issued on 2 July 2002.
My Belarusy | Introduction
"My Biełarusy" was originally used as the anthem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic starting from 24 February 1955. The original anthem was composed by Sakałoŭski and the lyrics were written by Maxim Klimkovich. It was presented in front of a jury in 1944, but it took 11 years of modifications before it was officially adopted. When Belarus became an independent country, the national anthem was modified to drop the Communist-era lyrics. An attempt was made in 1995 to adopt Natallia Arsiennieva's poem "O God Almighty" as the national anthem, but the suggestion was not acted on even though it was supported by a parliamentary committee.
My Belarusy | Anthem of the Byelorussian SSR
When Lukashenko issued his decree selecting a new national anthem, only slight changes were made to the Soviet-era hymn. While the references to Russia, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Vladimir Lenin were replaced; the overall theme of "friendship of peoples" and the original music composed by Sakałoŭski were preserved. The government decided to keep Sakałoŭski's music in order to maintain historical continuity, and also on account of its popularity and musical quality. After the national anthem was adopted, the process of adopting national symbols was completed.
My Belarusy | Anthem of the Republic of Belarus
"Mahutny Boža", a religious hymn, is also actively used by those who oppose the Lukashenko Government. A favourite in the anthem competition was the poem called "Young Belarus" ("Маладая Беларусь") by Janka Kupala. However, the poem was never set to a musical composition so "Young Belarus" could not be selected as the anthem.
My Belarusy | Other songs
The lyrics now speak of a friendly Belarus, honoring past military battles and looking forward to the future.
My Belarusy | Introduction
The decree's main objective was to establish lyrics for the anthem and introduce musical notation along with the new lyrics. Moreover, the decree designated when, where, and how the anthem was to be performed. According to the newspaper "Soviet Byelorussia", President Lukashenko decided on the anthem on 12 June 2002 and chose to have its first performance on 3 July—Belarusian independence day, the anniversary of the date in 1944 when the Wehrmacht was driven away from Minsk by the Red Army. However, the first performance actually took place on 2 July at a concert organized by the government as part of the Belarusian independence festivities.
My Belarusy | Anthem of the Republic of Belarus
"Vajacki Marš" ("March of the Warriors") was the official anthem of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, a Belarusian state that was created in 1918 but lasted only 10 months, during World War I. Since 1919, the song has been used as an anthem of Belarus by Belarusian emigrant communities in Western Europe and North America. It is still considered the official anthem used by the government-in-exile of the Belarusian Democratic Republic.
My Belarusy | Vajacki marš
Uladzimir Karyzna (, ) is a poet from Belarus. Karyzna co-wrote the lyrics of the current national anthem of Belarus, "My Belarusy".
Uladzimir Karyzna | Introduction
The only symbol that hasn't changed over during independence is the national anthem. Adopted during the Soviet era, "My Belarusy" was used provisionally until 2002. The only change that occurred was dropping the Soviet-era lyrics and choosing just to use the music, composed by Nyestar Sakalowski. On July 2, 2002, President Lukashenko issued a decree adopting new lyrics to the anthem, written by Uladzimir Karyzny. Klimkovich also wrote the lyrics to the Anthem of the Byelorussian SSR. Not only the lyrics were chosen, a protocol guide related to the national anthem was released by Lukashenko. The reason that was given for keeping Sakalowski's music was to keep the historic traditions of the country.
National symbols of Belarus | National anthem
The anthem must be performed in accordance with the lyrics and sheet music established by law. Every day, all radio and television stations across the country are required to play the national anthem upon signing on at 6 a.m. and again upon signing off (usually around midnight). The anthem can also be performed on certain occasions, such as at government meetings, before sporting events and presidential inaugurations. While the anthem is being performed, citizens are required to stand at attention and those in military or police uniform must salute.
My Belarusy | Regulations
The organization Freedom House commented on the adoption of the anthem in a report about the country, published in 2003. On page 125 of the "Country Report of Belarus", Freedom House says that President Lukashenko has "reintroduced the state symbols used by the old Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 2002, the president approved a streamlined version of the Soviet-era anthem "My Belarusy" ("We Belarusians"), as the country's new national anthem." The report also mentioned President Lukashenko's ban of the symbols that were used since Belarus's independence in 1991, such as the Pahonia arms and the white, red, white flag, which Lukashenko claims are associated with fascism (because the pro-Nazi Belarusian Central Rada in World War II used these symbols).
My Belarusy | Reaction
The only legal mention of a national anthem in Belarusian law before 2002 was in the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. Section One, Article 19 of the constitution states that "The symbols of the Republic of Belarus as a sovereign state shall be its national flag, national emblem and national anthem." While the constitution only mentioned the use of the flag, national anthem, and arms as state symbols, each symbol had to be defined by law. A law specifying a national anthem was not enacted until Presidential Decree 350 took effect on 18 July 2002, the day before Belarus's independence day.
My Belarusy | Anthem of the Republic of Belarus
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Story of My Life" written by Arciom Lukjanienka. The song was performed by Naviband. The Belarusian entry for the 2017 contest in Kiev, Ukraine was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of thirteen competing acts participating in a televised production where the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from jury members made up of music professionals and a public telephone vote. "Historyja majho žyccia" performed by NAVI was selected as the winner.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | Introduction
The "State Anthem of the Byelorussian SSR" was the regional anthem of the Byelorussian SSR, a republic of the Soviet Union. It was used from 1952 to 1991. It took 11 years to create lyrics for it, even producing a version that mentions then-Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The music was composed by Nestar Sakalowski, and the lyrics were written by Mihas' Klimovich. In 1991, when the Byelorussian SSR became independent from Soviet rule as Belarus, it retained the Soviet-era regional anthem as its national one, albeit without lyrics until 2002, when new lyrics were created (this version is still in use today).
Anthem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic | Introduction
Sakałoŭski composed the music for the Byelorussian SSR's regional anthem, which is used today in the national anthem of Belarus.
Niescier Sakałoŭski | Career
The song's title was later translated from Belarusian to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Story of My Life".
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | Introduction
The lyrics of the song were first published in 1919 in Minsk, in the newspaper, "Belarus". As the hymn of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, the song was approved in 1920, when the leaders of the republic were already in exile. During the Soviet occupation of Belarus, the March was banned. However, there were attempts to adapt the lyrics to the communist ideology by replacing mentions of the national Belarusian white-red-white flag with those of the Soviet red banner. Throughout the 20th century, the March was actively used by pro-independence organisations of the Belarusian diaspora. After the restoration of the independence of Belarus in 1991, there were propositions to make "Vajacki marš", as the national anthem of the Republic of Belarus once again.
Vajacki marš | History
"Musyka moikh pobed" (, "Music of my victories") is a song by Belarusian singer Alexander Minyonok. It will represent Belarus during the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016. It is composed and written by Kirill Ermakov and Roman Kolodko.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016 | Musyka moikh pobed
However, none of the lyrics were officially adopted by Yeltsin or the Russian government. One of the reasons that partially explained the lack of lyrics was the original use of Glinka's composition: the praise of the Tsar and of the Russian Orthodox Church. Other complaints raised about the song were that it was hard to remember, uninspiring, and musically complicated. It was one of the few national anthems that lacked official lyrics during this period. The only other wordless national anthems in the period from 1990 to 2000 were "My Belarusy" of Belarus (until 2002), "Marcha Real" of Spain, and "Intermeco" of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
National anthem of Russia | Call for lyrics
"Pepelny (Ashen)" () is a song by Belarusian singer Elizaveta Misnikova. It represented Belarus at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 | Pepelny (Ashen)
However, it does not regulate the language of the songs, so most of the music which is broadcast is still in Russian.
Music of Belarus | Introduction
"Historyja majho žyccia" (, ; ) is a song performed by Belarusian duo Naviband. The song represented Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. It was written by group member Arciom Lukjanienka. The song's music video was released on 30 November 2016, while the Eurovision version of the song was released as a digital download on 7 March 2017 through MediaCube Music. It is the first Belarusian Eurovision entry to ever be sung in the Belarusian language.
Historyja majho žyccia | Introduction
It performs songs such as Muslim Magomayev to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Presidential Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus | Introduction
"My Galileo" was the first entry by Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest, performed at the 2004 Contest in English by Aleksandra and Konstantin. As this was Belarus' debut entry, it was performed in the semi-final of that Contest. The song was performed second on the night (following Finland's Jari Sillanpää with "Takes 2 To Tango" and preceding Switzerland's Piero Esteriore & The MusicStars with "Celebrate!"). At the close of voting, it could only muster 10 points, which were enough for 19th place, thus forcing Belarus to qualify through the semi-final at the next Contest. The song is inspired somewhat by Belarusian country music and likens the singer's lover to Galileo.
My Galileo | Introduction
Vajacki marš (Cyrillic: Ваяцкі марш, pronounced , "March of the Warriors"; also known as My vyjdziem ščylnymi radami (Cyrillic: Мы выйдзем шчыльнымі радамі) ""Come, We Shall March in Joint Endeavour"") was the national anthem for the short-lived Belarusian Democratic Republic that existed in 1918. Currently, the government of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, Rada BNR, exists in exile.
Vajacki marš | Introduction
The work proceeded until May 18, 1950, when the text was finally ready and approved by the Council of Ministers. The next day, the Committee on Science, Art and Culture announced a contest for the creation of a melody. On December 30, 1950, the Presidium of the National Assembly issued Decree No. 688, which came into force on January 1, 1951, which affirmed the song as the new anthem of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. The lyrics of the 1951 anthem closely resembled the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, and is entirely written according to the canons of Stalin's times.
Balgariyo mila | History
When translating, Vital wrote the text anew,”" musicians drew attention to the joint-work. "“The Belarusization of non-Belarusian" "lyrics by Belarusian bands is a great advanced training school,”" the poet explained his approach to work and added that the results of Belarusization allow musicians to more gracefully integrate into the domestic context. As a result, expert of Tuzin.fm Ihar Nazaranka highlighted that to listen to the song in Belarusian suits him more. He was also echoed by Siarhei Budkin, expert staffer over at Experty.by, who in 2012 warmly remembered "“quite successful experiments of musicians with the Belarusian language”" on the example of the same song.
Split Before, Together Now | Cover versions
Belarus was represented by Aleksandra & Konstantin and the song "My Galileo" in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 | Introduction
Belarus is an Eastern European country with a rich tradition of folk and religious music. The country's folk music traditions can be traced back to the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The country's musical traditions spread with its people to countries like Russia, Canada, United States, Kazakhstan and Latvia. The people of Belarus were exposed mostly to Russian pop music during this period and also after independence in 1991. In 2002, however, President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree requiring 50% of all FM broadcast music to be Belarusian in origin, and since January 1, 2005 the rule was made even stricter (75% of music broadcast each day must be Belarusian).
Music of Belarus | Introduction
"I Love Belarus" is a retro-pop song performed by Anastasia Vinnikova who was selected to represent Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany. The song was presented to the public on 14 March 2011. Originally, the song picked was "I Am Belarusian" performed by Anastasia Vinnikova as well. But the song had to be withdrawn after it was discovered that it was sung in public in the summer of 2010. The song was performed live in the 16th position of performance order at the second semifinal on 12 May, succeeding Estonia's "Rockefeller Street" which was performed by Getter Jaani, and preceded Latvia's "Angel in Disguise" which was performed by Musiqq, but failed to qualify for the grand final finishing in 14th place receiving 45 points overall.
I Love Belarus | Introduction
The same music was used for a proposed anthem for the State Union of Russia and Belarus, entitled "Derzhavny Soyuz Narodov" ("Sovereign Union of Nations"). Its lyrics were not tied to any specific nationality, and there were official versions in the languages of every Soviet republic and several other Soviet languages; thus it could have been adopted by a broader union. However, it was never officially adopted, and there appear to be no plans to utilize it in any official role.
State Anthem of the Soviet Union | State Union of Russia and Belarus
In 2003, Dr. Taras Kuzio wrote in Radio Free Europe that President Lukashenko "is the quintessential Soviet Belarusian patriot who presides over a regime steeped in Soviet nostalgia." Kuzio said that the motives of Russia and Belarus in re-adopting Soviet-era symbols are part of restoring that nostalgia.
My Belarusy | Reaction
In particular, the renowned writers Vasil Bykau, Ales Adamovich and Ryhor Baradulin issued a public appeal in favour of making "Vajacki marš" as the national anthem of Belarus. Other symbols of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, the Pahonia and the white red white flag, have then been restored as state symbols, which used until 1995. The former anthem, however, it did not restored as the country's national anthem, making the state anthem of Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic to remain its status as the national anthem, despite the restoration of the former symbols and independence, but without communist-era lyrics until 2002.
Vajacki marš | History
It is made up of 57 musicians who are in the following order:
Presidential Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus | Composition
Note: The song was sung with numerous variations in text.
Belarusian Marseillaise | Lyrics of "Belarusian Marseillaise" / "We've slept for long"
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Kiev, Ukraine. The Belarusian entry was selected through a national final, organised by Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The final was held on 4 October 2013. Ilya Volkov and his song "Poy so mnoy" won the national final, scoring 18 points.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 | Introduction
While references to Lenin, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the idea of Soviet brotherhood were dropped, the general idea of a "friendship of peoples" still remains present. According to the Belarusian Government, once the national anthem was adopted, the long process to adopt the three national symbols of Belarus was completed.
National symbols of Belarus | National anthem
The national final took place on 25 August 2017. It consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of both telephone vote and the votes of a jury made up of music professionals. The show was opened by the last year's representative Alexander Minyonok, who performed his entry “Musyka moikh pobed (Music Is My Only Way)”. He also sang a cover version of Shawn Mendes' song "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back". Moreover, some of the singers that did not manage to reach the national final, but showed potential at the live auditions, were also guests of the show.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | National final
Elizaveta Misnikova (Russian: Елизавета Мисникова, Belarusian: Лізавета Міснікава, born 1 February 2005) is a Belarusian singer. She represented Belarus at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Pepelniy (Ashen)".
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 | Liza Misnikova
Moya Strana, Moya Bălgaria (, translated as ""My Country, My Bulgaria"") is a patriotic song by Bulgarian singer Emil Dimitrov, issued in 1970. The lyrics of the song were written by Vasil Andreev. It was chosen as "The Song of the Century" in Bulgaria and is considered as an unofficial (second) national anthem of Bulgaria.
Moya Strana, Moya Bălgaria | Introduction
Belarus selected their Junior Eurovision entry for 2008 through "Song For Eurovision", a national final consisting of 20 songs which had to qualify through a semi final to get to the final. The winners were "Dasha, Alina & Karina" with the song "Sertse Belarusi".
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | Introduction
The national final took place on 26 December 2014 at the "600 Metrov" studio in Minsk, hosted by Olga Ryzhikova and Denis Dudinskiy. Prior to the competition, a draw for the running order took place on 7 December 2014. A seven-member jury (7/8) and a public televote (1/8) selected the song "Time" performed by Uzari & Maimuna as the winner. The members of the jury were Gennadiy Davidko (BTRC Chairman), Eduard Zaritskiy (People's Artist of Belarus/composer), Marianna Drabovich (head of the Department of Arts, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus), Andrei Mikheev (music critic), Sergei Andrianov (journalist), Elena Treshchinskaya (head of the radio station "Radius FM") and Dimitri Novik (television presenter).
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 | Final
He is best known as the composer of the Ukrainian national anthem by the words of Pavel Chubinsky "Shche ne vmerla Ukrayiny" (‘Ukraine has not Perished’), which in 1917 was adopted by the new Ukrainian republican government.
Mykhailo Verbytsky | Music
However, on 12 March 2011 the song was withdrawn, after it was discovered that it had been performed in public in the summer of 2010, and was replaced with the new song "I Love Belarus".
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 | Internal selection
Belarus competed in the second half of the second semi-final at the Eurovision Song Contest and came 17th in the final.
Historyja majho žyccia | Eurovision Song Contest
Belarus was represented by Polina Smolova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Mum". The song, an upbeat pop song that resembles the styles of Michael Jackson, was written by Andrey Kostiugov and composed by Sergey Sukhomlin. Polina Smolova started her singing career with participations in children folk bands. She has graduated from music school in the piano department and sang in the children’s folk theater "Gostsitsa" as part of the Belarusian folk ensemble "Zhavaranachki." Polina later graduated from the Glinka Music College in the department of solo traditional singing from the Belarus State University of Culture and Art.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 | Introduction
Serbian newspaper "Blic" reported that Serbian producer Željko Joksimović, who represented Serbia and Montenegro in 2004 and produced the Bosnian and Herzegovinian song in 2006 and the Serbian song in 2008, was chosen to write the 2011 Belarusian Eurovision entry for Irina Dorofeeva; official confirmation was made.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 | Initial rumors
It is similar to the State of the Union given by the President of the United States.
State of the Nation Address (Belarus) | Introduction
On 13 December 1918, only the first stanza of Janko Matúška's lyrics became half of the two-part bilingual Czechoslovak anthem, composed of the first stanza from a Czech operetta tune, "Kde domov můj" (Where Is My Home?), and the first stanza of Matúška's song, each sung in its respective language and both played in that sequence with their respective tunes. The songs reflected the two nations' concerns in the 19th century when they were confronted with the already fervent national-ethnic activism of the Hungarians and the Germans, their fellow ethnic groups in the Habsburg Monarchy. During the Second World War, "Hej, Slováci" was adopted as the unofficial state anthem of the puppet regime Slovak Republic.
Nad Tatrou sa blýska | National anthem
The national final took place on 26 August 2016, which saw ten competing acts participating in a televised production where the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of both telephone vote and the votes of jury members made up of music professionals. Alexander Minyonok was selected to represent Belarus with the song "Musyka moikh pobed".
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016 | National final
Rybak's song "Accent", performed by Milki, competed in the Belarusian national final for the contest, placing fourth.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest | History
"My Moscow" (, ) is the municipal anthem of the Russian city of Moscow since 1995. The music was composed in 1941 by Isaak Dunayevsky and the lyrics were written by Sergey Agranyan and Mark Lisyansky. The original performer was Zoya Rozhdestvenskaya.. The original lyrics had four verses, of which the last pertained to Joseph Stalin. They were replaced by the current lyrics which were introduced during the Leonid Brezhnev era.
Moya Moskva | Introduction
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016. The Belarusian entry for the 2016 contest in Valletta, Malta was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). A national final of ten competing acts participated in a televised production where the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from jury members made up of music professionals and a public telephone vote. On 26 August 2016, Alexander Minyonok was selected to represent Belarus with the song "Musyka moikh pobed (Music is my only way)".
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2016 | Introduction
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Volshebstvo (Magic)" written by Vitaliy Kurovskiy, Ruslan Aslanov. The song was performed by Ruslan Aslanov. The Belarusian entry for the 2015 contest in Sofia, Bulgaria was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where the winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of both telephone vote and the votes of jury members made up of music professionals. After winning both the televote and jury vote, Ruslan Aslanov and his song "Volshebstvo" were declared the winners.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 | Introduction
"I Am the One" is a song by Belarusian singer Helena Meraai. It represented Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | "I Am the One"
"Time" is a song by Belarussian singer Daniel Yastremski. It represented Belarus at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The song placed 11th with 114 points.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 | Time
Before its re-adaptation, a competition for a national anthem among three patriotic songs took place with one of the other songs being "Za Ukrajinu" () by Mykola Voronyi. The lyrics constitute a slightly modified original first stanza of the patriotic poem written in 1862 by Pavlo Chubynsky, a prominent ethnographer from the region of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. In 1863, Mykhailo Verbytsky, a western Ukrainian composer and Greek-Catholic priest composed music to accompany Chubynsky's text. The first choral performance of the piece was at the Ukraine Theatre in Lviv, in 1864.
Shche ne vmerla Ukraina | Introduction
Hej Sokoły or "Hey Falcons" (, , ) is a song popular in Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus and eastern Czech Republic. Although rare in Belarus and Czechia. The lyrics exist in several versions about a Ukrainian girl to whom her betrothed, a cossack, says goodbye for the last time. Although its exact origins are unknown, the song was believed to have been written by Ukrainian-Polish poet-songwriter Tomasz Padura in the first half of the 19th century. It is representative of what is known as the Ukrainian school of Polish literature. Because of the unclear history of the song, it is sometimes presented as being either, or both, a Polish folk song or Ukrainian folk song.
Hej Sokoly | Introduction
"Rjana Łužica" (Lower Sorbian: "Rědna Łužyca"; lit. “Beautiful Lusatia”) is the Sorbian national anthem. It was written by poet Handrij Zejler. The lyrics were firstly published on August 24, 1827, in the Leipzig magazine "Serbska Nowina". Its music was composed in the beginning of 1845 by Korla Awgust Kocor (). The anthem was publicly performed for the first time on October 17, 1845, in Budyšin/Bautzen (Upper Sorbian "Budyšin", Lower Sorbian: "Budyšyn"), German "Bautzen", formerly "Budissin").
Rjana Łužica | Introduction
As a national anthem of a sovereign state, "Nad Tatrou sa blýska" is often performed at special events, such as soccer games and official diplomatic visits of state.
Nad Tatrou sa blýska | Introduction
Karyzna is the author of more than 200 songs, written in sponsorship with well-known Belarusian composers. He is the author of the hymn of Nesvizh and co-wrote the lyrics of the Belarusian national anthem. Karyzna is a member of the Union of Writers of Belarus, the commission of support to youth, the commission of state prizes, a judge of the competition "energetica", a judge of the Republican Youth Singing competition, a representative of the commission for prizes for trade unions, and a delegate of the 3rd National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus.
Uladzimir Karyzna | Works and activity
Belarus participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Marsa, Malta. The Belarusian entry was selected through a national final, organised by Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The final was held on 29 August 2014. Nadezhda Misyakova and her song "Sokol" won the national final, scoring 15 points.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 | Introduction
The legislated Slovak national anthem uses this version, the other phrase was used before 1993.
Nad Tatrou sa blýska | Versions
The Belarusian national final took place on 31 January 2004. Fifteen songs participated in the competition and the winner was selected exclusively via a public vote. The show was broadcast on Belarus 1 and Radius FM.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 | National final
The Belarusian national final took place on 7 March 2019. Ten songs participated in the competition and the winner was selected exclusively by the votes of a seven-member jury. The show was broadcast on Belarus 1, Belarus 24 and Radius FM as well as online via the broadcaster's official website "tvr.by".
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 | Nationalny Otbor
"All My Life" is a song by Belarusian singer Alyona Lanskaya. The song was written by Leonid Shirin and Yuri Vashchuk. Lanskaya participated in Eurofest 2012 singing the song in a bid to represent Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 held in Baku, Azerbaijan. However she was later disqualified following an investigation about rigged televoting which made her song the winning entry.
All My Life (Alyona Lanskaya song) | Introduction
"Mer Hayrenik" (, ; 'Our Fatherland') is the national anthem of Armenia. Barsegh Kanachyan composed the music, while the lyrics were authored by Mikayel Nalbandian. First adopted in 1918 as the anthem of the short-lived First Republic of Armenia, it was subsequently banned after the country was invaded and incorporated into the Soviet Union. Following the dissolution of the USSR and the restoration of sovereignty in 1991, the song was re-adopted as the national anthem of the newly independent state, albeit with slightly modified lyrics.
Mer Hayrenik | Introduction
The Belarusian national final took place on 20 January 2017. Thirteen songs participated in the competition and the winner was selected through a jury and public televote. The show was broadcast on Belarus 1, Belarus 24 and Radius FM as well as online via the broadcaster's official website "tvr.by".
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | National final
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Help You Fly" written by Viktor Drobysh, Alexander Ivanov, Timofei Leontiev and Mary Susan Applegate. The song was performed by Ivan, which is the artistic name of singer Alexander Ivanov. The Belarusian entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected through a national final organised by the Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). The national final consisted of ten competing acts participating in a televised production where public televoting selected the winner. "Help You Fly" performed by Ivan was selected as the winner with 23,167 votes.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 | Introduction
Yak tebe ne lyubyty, Kyieve miy! ( ) is a lyrical song of Kyiv composer Ihor Shamo and lyrics by poet Dmytro Lutsenko. At first the song was performed in 1962 in duet by Yuriy Gulyayev and Kostiantyn Ohnyevyi who at that time performed at Kyiv Opera Theatre. After over half a century later, in 2014 the song became official anthem of Kyiv city.
Yak tebe ne lyubyty, Kyieve miy! | Introduction
Belarus chose Dmitry Koldun with the song "Work Your Magic", written by Karen Kavaleryan and composed by Philip Kirkorov, to represent the nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki, Finland.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 | Introduction
Just as in 2010, BTRC opened a submission period for interested artists and songwriters to submit their entries until 21 February 2010. There were no limitations regarding the nationality of the singers and songwriters taking part in the open selection. An expert panel then reviewed all the submissions, and the selected entry was chosen on 1 March 2011. On 28 February 2011, BTRC announced Anastasia Vinnikova as the Belarusian entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Born in Byelorussia". However, on 3 March 2011, it was announced that the lyrics of the song would be changed, with the new title of the song to be "I Am Belarusian", as the song quoted memories from the Soviet Union period.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 | Internal selection
Хакасия! Сибирь кіні чирі, Сойан тағлары, Ким суғ ағыны. Чайаан таңназы, тилекей сілии! Ӧӧркілер салған чоннар чырғалы. (Refrain) "Хакасия! Сағаа хайхапчам," "Кӧріп тайға-тағлар, чазыларың." "Чир-суум тынызына кӧӧрепче чӱреем," "Кӱс мағаа пирче тӧреен чирім." Саарлар, тулғорлар син пӱдірчезің. Ас таарыпчазың, аттарға пайзың, Анып чир пайын, чоллар салчазың, Алып оолларның маха кӱзвнең.
State Anthem of the Republic of Khakassia | Lyrics
The name "Belarusian Marseillaise" () has been used to refer to two Belarusian patriotic songs. Above all, "Belarusian Marseillaise" is another name for the Belarusian song "We've slept for long" () the author of whose lyrics is unknown. The song was reportedly heard for the first time in 1906, "among the revolutionary peasantry of the Slutsk Uyezd, Minsk Governorate". The song was dubbed the "Belarusian Marseillaise" for the Belarusian national and revolutionary pathos of its lyrics, but was sung to a different tune than "La Marseillaise". In late 1980s through early 1990s, the title "Belarusian Marseillaise" had also been used, occasionally, by the Belarusian national activists in relation to the song «Pahonya», with lyrics being the poem «Pahonya» by famous Belarusian poet Maksim Bahdanovich and the tune, indeed, that of La Marseillaise.
Belarusian Marseillaise | Introduction
This was the time period that Anatoly Bogatyrev, the creator of the opera 'In Polesia Virgin Forest', served as the "tutor" of Belarusian composers. The National Academic Theatre of Ballet, in Minsk, was awarded the Prix Benois de la Danse in 1996 as the top ballet company in the world. Popular Soviet Belarusian music was composed by several prominent bands, many of whom performed Belarusian folk music. Folk rock act Pesniary, formed in 1969 by guitarist Vladimir Mulyavin, became the most popular folk band of the Soviet Union, and often toured over Europe. Pesniary's example inspired Syabry and Verasy to follow their way.
Culture of Belarus | Music
Belarus was represented by Ruslan Alekhno in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Hasta La Vista".
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | Introduction
For the contest, the winning song "Mama" has been revamped and renamed as "Mum" specifically for the contest.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 | Preparation
Wells played piano during Belarus entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 on 25 May performed by 3+2.
Robert Wells (composer) | Eurovision
Artists and composers were able to submit their applications and entries to the broadcaster until 14 December 2003. Songs could be performed in any language, however, a translation of the lyrics to English and Russian were required and at least part of each song had to be performed in English. At the closing of the deadline, 59 entries were received by the broadcaster. A jury panel was tasked with selecting fifteen entries to proceed to the televised national final. The jury consisted of four representatives of the Ministry of Culture, three representatives of the Ministry of Information and three representatives of BTRC.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 | Competing entries
"Boys and Girls" was intended to be the Belarusian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, to be performed in English by Angelica Agurbash. As it was not performed, the song enters a very exclusive group of only three of four songs to be announced as an entry before not being performed. The song is an emotional ballad, with the lyrics written as a plea to the children of the world, reminding them that they are the future. Due in part to the unfashionable style of the song but also to its subject matter (the song is based around the Beslan school hostage crisis, which is unusual in English language songs), it did not attract a favourable reception prior to the Contest.
Boys and Girls (Angelica Agurbash song) | Introduction
The national final "Song For Eurovision" was held on 28 September 2012. Ten acts competed for the winning title. At the end of the voting, Egor Zheshko won, winning 1st place from both the jury and the televiewers.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2012 | Song For Eurovision
Belarus performed in position 8. The song qualified for the final, where it finished in 24th place with 31 points.
Like It | Eurovision Song Contest
The first famous Belorussian protest songs were created at the beginning of the 20th century during the rise of Belorussian People's Republic and war for independence from Russian Empire and Soviet Russia. This period includes such protest songs as "Advieku My Spali" ("We've slept enough", also known as Belorussian Marselliese) and "Vajaćki Marš" ("March of the Warriors"), which was an anthem of Belorussian People's Republic. The next period of protest songs was in the 1990s, with many created by such bands as NRM, Novaje Nieba and others, which led to unspoken prohibition of these musicians. As an example, Lavon Volski, frontman of NRM, Mroja and Krambambulia, had issues with officials at the majority of his concert due to the criticism of the Belorussian political system.
Protest song | Belarus
Şən Azərbaycan was a Soviet-era patriotic song about Azerbaijan that still remains popular in Azerbaijan. The song was made in 1970. During the Soviet era, the song was sung in both Russian and Azerbaijani. After the collapse of the USSR, the Russian lyrics became unpopular, and are typically no longer sung.
Şən Azərbaycan | Introduction
On 15 October 2013, BTRC announced that a national final would be held to select Belarus' entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 | National final
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Time", written by Uzari, Gerylana and Maimuna. The song was performed by the duo Uzari and Maimuna; Uzari is a singer-songwriter, while Maimuna is a violist. Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC) organised a national final in order to select the Belarusian entry for the 2015 contest. In a field of fifteen songs, "Time" performed by Uzari and Maimuna won the right to represent Belarus in Vienna, Austria. In the first of the Eurovision semi-finals, Belarus failed to qualify to the final, placing twelfth out of the 16 participating countries with 39 points.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 | Introduction
After this, the defense minister's car heads to the central tribune to the tune of "Motherland My Dear" ("Радзіма мая дарагая") so that the minister can report to the president on the readiness of the parade once his limouine stops in front of the presidential grandstand, following which he disembarks and arrives there, following which the parade is ordered at ease. The president then delivers an address to the nation and congratulates the citizens on the holiday. At the end of the speech, My Belarusy is played by the Central Band of the Armed Forces, with a 21-gun salute being fired in the background.
Minsk Independence Day Parade | Summary
Naviband were confirmed to have submitted an application for Belarus's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, on 26 November 2016. On 30 November, they were confirmed to be one of the thirteen finalists with the song "Historyja majho žyccia". During the final, held on 20 January 2017, Naviband went on to win, placing first with juries and fifth with televoters. They represented Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. "Historyja majho žyccia" is the first ever Belarusian Eurovision entry to be sung in the Belarusian language, as the language had only previously been heard at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
Historyja majho žyccia | Eurovision Song Contest
On 3 February 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree "On the State Anthems of the Soviet Republics". The decree was followed with the Azerbaijan SSR and the Armenian SSR created their regional anthems with their most prominent composers, and the Lithuanian SSR, that used its old anthem, "Tautiška giesmė".
Anthem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic | History
The Sovereign Union of Nations (, "Derzhavny Soyuz Narodov"; , "Dzyarzhauny Sayuz Narodau") has been proposed as an anthem for the Union State. The song, which was modified from the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, refers to a wider union of the two nations (Belarus and Russia).
Sovereign Union of Nations | Introduction
On 1 June 2009, (International Children's Day) the semi-final of the contest was broadcast, being prerecorded in the BTRC studio a few days earlier, and was hosted by BTRC Eurovision commentator Denis Kuryan. A professional jury, again headed by Vasily Rainchik, selected ten songs from the 19 to proceed to the final of the event. "Belakrylyya mary" was the only song in Belorussian language in the running, while all other entries have been performed in Russian.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009 | Semi-final
The finalists were announced on 4 January 2004, however one of the selected finalists, "Kali chakra, a i luz" performed by Jur'ya, was disqualified due to not signing the contract for participation. They were later replaced by "Govorjat" performed by Adelina Petrosyan.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 | Competing entries
A submission period for interested artists and composers was opened on 1 November 2011 and lasted until 25 November 2011. From the applicants, a jury panel was tasked with selecting fifteen entries to proceed to the televised national final.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 | Competing entries
The national team is supervised by the Belarusian Bandy Federation, a member of the Federation of International Bandy.
Belarus national bandy team | Introduction
The final was broadcast live on 12 September 2008. The winning song was decided by 50% Televoting and 50% Jury, however only televoting results were announced, which was won by trio Dasha, Alina and Karina with Diana Gromova finishing 2nd.
Belarus in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | Final
"'" (), also known by its official title of "State Anthem of Ukraine" (, "") or by its shortened form "'" (), is the national anthem of Ukraine. Its music was officially adopted by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada on 15 January 1992. The official lyrics were adopted on 6 March 2003 by the Law on the Anthem of Ukraine (). In the first half of the 20th century, during unsuccessful attempts to gain independence and create a state from the territories of the Russian Empire, Poland, and Austria-Hungary, the song was the national anthem of the Ukrainian People's Republic, West Ukrainian People's Republic, and Carpatho-Ukraine, and was once again adopted by independent Ukraine following its secession from the Soviet Union.
Shche ne vmerla Ukraina | Introduction
Belarus participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Belarusian entry was selected through a national final, organised by Belarusian broadcaster National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (BTRC). Teo represented Belarus with the self-composed song "Cheesecake" with lyrics by Dmitry Novik. The song qualified from the second semi-final to compete in the final. Belarus placed 16th in the final, scoring 43 points.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 | Introduction
The Belarusian national final took place on 16 February 2018. Ten songs participated in the competition and the winner was selected through a jury and public televote. The show was broadcast on Belarus 1, Belarus 24 and Radius FM as well as online via the broadcaster's official website "tvr.by".
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 | National final
The song and the group had come second in ONT's "Musical Court" (as Artyom Mihalenko, Elgiazar Farashyan and Yulia Shisko) before the song was submitted to the BTRC selection. On 19 March 2010, three days before the deadline to submit songs to the Contest's organisers, it was announced that 3+2 had changed their song for the contest, and would now perform the song "Butterflies" at the contest. The song was composed by Russian producer Maxim Fadeev and by Swedish Robert Wells, with lyrics by Malka Chaplin.
Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 | Internal selection
"Solayoh" is a song recorded by Belarusian singer Alyona Lanskaya. The song was written by Marc Paelinck and Martin King. It was best known as Belarus' entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 which was held in Malmö, Sweden. The song competed in the first semi-final on 14 May 2013. It placed 7th in the semi-final, meaning that Belarus had a place in the Grand Final, to be held on 18 May 2013. Belarus performed 8 in the running following Estonia and preceding Malta. They received 48 points, which placed Belarus 16th in the Final.
Solayoh | Introduction