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
1955 2 July 2002 1955 1955
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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Sakalowski
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when was it adopted?
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"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
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
This was produced in July 1929 by Colonel Fritz Brasé, director of the Army band. This consisted only of the chorus, and was published under the title "The Soldier's Song" rather than "A Soldier's Song", although variants such as "the "Soldiers' Song"" continued to occur in later official documentation.
Amhrán na bhFiann | Official adoption
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
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
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 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
Belarus adopted its first temporary constitution several months after declaring independence from the Russian Empire, on October 11, 1918. In 1919, after the occupation of the country by the Russian Bolsheviks, Belarus became a Soviet Republic (USSR), and a new constitution was adopted. Belarus continued to use this constitution until it – along with Russia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasus – signed a treaty to form the Soviet Union. Now the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR), the country adopted its first Soviet-era constitution in 1927, complementing the recently adopted Soviet Constitution. After a re-adoption in 1937, the Byelorussian SSR adopted its last Soviet-era constitution in 1978, mainly to reflect changes made in the 1977 Soviet Constitution.
Constitution of Belarus | In the 20th century
Since the original adoption of the Constitution in 1994, it has been amended twice; once in 1996 and once in 2004.
Constitution of Belarus | Section Eight: The Application of the Constitution
The Constitution of the Republic of Belarus (, ) is the ultimate law of Belarus. Adopted in 1994, three years after the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union, this formal document establishes the framework of the Belarusian state and government and enumerates the rights and freedoms of its citizens. The Constitution was drafted by the Supreme Soviet of Belarus, the former legislative body of the country, and was improved upon by citizens and legal experts. The contents of the Constitution include the preamble, nine sections, and 146 articles. The structure and substance of the Constitution were heavily influenced by constitutions of Western powers and by Belarus' experiences during the Soviet era.
Constitution of Belarus | Introduction
The official policy of Belarusization was instituted in 1924 by the Central Executive Committee of the BSSR by creation of a special commission headed by A. I. Khatskevich. The special commission recommended the following measures: The transition of Belarusian republic's institutions to the Belarusian language was planned to take place over a period of one to three years.
Belarusization | Plan for Belarusization
The first citizenship act after the Belarusian declaration of independence was adopted on 18 October 1991. The Citizenship Act (1991) has not declared succession of citizenship of the Byelorussian SSR. Citizens of the USSR who had permanently resided in Belarus were recognized by the Act as citizens of the Republic of Belarus. Belarusian citizenship could be acquired:
Belarusian citizenship | Belarusian citizenship from 1991 to 2002
The commission submitted the third and final draft to the Supreme Council, where it was signed on March 15, 1994 by the Speaker of the Supreme Council and Head of State, Myechyslaw Hryb. The gazette "Zvezda" officially published the Constitution fifteen days later. The Supreme Soviet passed a second law along with the Constitution, titled the Enactment Law, rendering the 1978 Byelorussian SSR Constitution and the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic void, with a few exceptions. The law, passed during the thirteenth session of the Supreme Soviet, also provided transitional phases for office holders and government organs to form within two years.
Constitution of Belarus | Modern constitution
When Belarus became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, the Supreme Council of Belarus passed the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, proclaiming Byelorussian SSR acts legal priority over USSR ones (per article 7 of the Declaration, but this provision was inserted into 1978 Constitution only in August 1991) and formally starting a constitutional process in Republic. Soon afterwards, the government established a Constitution Commission to facilitate the adoption of a post-Soviet constitution. In November 1991, the commission sent the first of three drafts to the Supreme Council. Upon approval from the Supreme Council, the first draft was published in December 1991 in order for the Belarusian populace to make comments and suggestions.
Constitution of Belarus | Modern constitution
In the 1960s, after the de-Stalinization process, the poet Georgi Dzhagarov began an effort to replace the previous anthem, which include references to Stalin and because the lyrics of the anthem was similar to the anthem of the Soviet Union. After discussing with Todor Zhivkov, the General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Zhivkov accepted the idea, and soon, by the Order No.1093, on March 29, 1962, the Council of Ministers held a competition for the lyrics and the music for the new anthem, with the deadline whichthe submission of lyrics on May 1, 1963, and the music on November 1, 1963.
Mila Rodino | Adoption as the national anthem
The composition of the committee for the new anthem was selected by Zhivkov himself, and the lyrics for the new anthem must be finalized on September 1, 1963, and for the music on March 1, 1964. The Council of Ministers also draws up a panel of experts to look at the projects submitted in advance and to put the best of the proposals for discussion with the committee. After the proposals for the lyrics and the music were submitted, none of the proposals satisfies them, so they accepted the advice of Georgi Dzhagarov to use "Mila Rodino" as the music for the new anthem.
Mila Rodino | Adoption as the national anthem
The ninth and last section of the Constitution was added following passage of the 1996 revision of Constitution and addresses laws passed before 1996. If the laws that were passed before the adoption of the Constitution are not in conflict with the Constitution, they are still enforced. All changes to the Constitution come into effect when formally issued by the president, unless specified otherwise. With the passage of the 1996 revision of the Constitution, the 1994 law "On the Procedure Governing the Entry into Force of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus" ceased to be enforced. As a transitional measure, Section Nine states that the present (as of November 1996) leadership of Belarus can continue to serve until their term of service has been completed.
Constitution of Belarus | Section Nine: Final and Transitional Clauses
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
While much of the Constitution establishes the government's functions and powers, an entire section details rights and freedoms granted to citizens and residents. The Constitution has been amended twice since the original adoption, in 1996 and in 2004. Two referendums that were disputed by independent observers and government opposition leaders increased the power of the presidency over the government and eliminated the term limits for the presidency.
Constitution of Belarus | Introduction
The Constitution of the Republic of Abkhazia () was adopted by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Abkhazia of the 12th convocation on 26 November 1994, and by the national referendum on October 3, 1999, with an amendment adopted by the national referendum on the same day. On the 15th anniversary of its adoption, a special meeting was held between the current convocation of the People's Assembly and many of the members who were present in 1994. Sergei Shamba reported that he had written down the exact time of adoption as 17:14.
Constitution of Abkhazia | Introduction
A national constitution was adopted in March 1994 in which the functions of prime minister were given to the President of Belarus.
Belarus | Independence
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
These he embodied in a draft constitution, the "Bayanikasan" Constitution published in 1980 to be adopted in 10 to 20 years.
Salvador Araneta | Introduction
After independence, Belarus adopted the Pahonia as the national coat of arms. This changed under the presidency of Alexander Lukashenko after a controversial 1995 referendum in which the basic Soviet design was reintroduced with the outline map of Belarus replacing the hammer and sickle.
Emblem of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic | History
"Dideba" was written and composed by and was adopted by the "Menshevik"-led Georgian government as the country's national anthem in 1918 after it became free from Russian rule. However, "Dideba"'s usage in this manner was to be short-lived. It would only used for a few years, until Georgia was invaded, occupied, and forcibly annexed by Russia in 1921 and came under Soviet rule from 1922 onward.
Dideba | Background
The lyrics now speak of a friendly Belarus, honoring past military battles and looking forward to the future.
My Belarusy | Introduction
The national emblem of Belarus was adopted in 1995 following a controversial referendum. It is reminiscent of that of the Byelorussian SSR and replaced the coat of arms of 1991-1995 which followed the traditional heraldic style. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan retained components of their respective republics for similar reasons.
Socialist heraldry | Present
This proposal was adopted by major Taraškievica-using media, including the newspaper "Nasha Niva", Belarusian ARCHE magazine, the Belarusian editions of Radio Free Europe and Radio Polonia. As well, this variant of orthography became preferable for use in the Belarusian Wikipedia in Taraškievica orthography ().
Taraškievica | Today
The agony of those children incorporated into the Imperial Russian Army was presented in Juliusz Słowacki's narrative poem "Anhelli". Several thousand children were taken towards Mińsk, Bobrujsk, into the depths of Russia, i.e. Siberia. Two-thirds of abducted children died on the journey between Warsaw and Bobrujsk. The rest were brought up as Russian soldiers.
Incorporation of Polish children into the Imperial Russian Army (1831-1832) | Introduction
This article describes the history of Belarus. The Belarusian ethnos is traced at least as far in time as other East Slavs. After an initial period of independent feudal consolidation, Belarusian lands were incorporated into the Kingdom of Lithuania, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire and eventually the Soviet Union. Belarus became an independent country in 1991 after declaring itself free from the Soviet Union.
History of Belarus | Introduction
The first ten (10) lines of this song constitute Bangladesh's national anthem, adopted in 1971 during its liberation war. Only those lines are given in the following section. The instrumental orchestra rendition was composed by Samar Das.
Amar Sonar Bangla | Official adoption
It was adopted by the Principality of Serbia (1817–1833) and Principality of Montenegro (1852–1910), as "nahija" ().
Nahiye (Ottoman) | Legacy
On 28 April 1924, Cosgrave expressed opposition to replacing "The Soldier's Song", which was provisionally used within the State. Sean Lester, Publicist at the Department of External Affairs considered "The Soldier's Song" to be "hardly suitable in words or music" and favoured the music, though not the words, of "Let Erin Remember". This was used as the anthem for the state at the 1924 Olympics in Paris, and other events abroad for the next two years. The "Dublin Evening Mail" held contests in 1924 and 1925 to find verses for a new anthem; the first produced no sufficiently good entry, and the second's winning entry was soon forgotten.
Amhrán na bhFiann | Official adoption
Heraldic adoption (), was in the Kingdom of Poland a legal form of ennoblement and adoption into an existing heraldic clan; along with assuming the coat of arms of that clan it took place as a result of an act issued by the King. The adoption of heraldic arms was a procedure used solely in Polish heraldry and was one of the earlier "old way" forms of ennoblement in Poland. It became particularly popular in the 15th century, especially with prosperous or prestigious city burghers and patricians aspiring to attain noble status, but was abolished by the first half of the 17th century.
Heraldic adoption | 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
"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 flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by decree on 25 December 1951. The flag was slightly modified in 1956 when construction details were added for the red star and the golden hammer and sickle. The final specifications of the flag was set in Article 120 of the Constitution of the Byelorussian SSR and are very similar to the current Belarusian flag. The flag had a length-to-width ratio of one to two (1:2), just like the flag of the Soviet Union (and the other fourteen union republics). The main portion of the flag was red (representing the Revolution), with the rest being green (representing the Belarusian forests).
Flag of Belarus | 1951–1991
"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
The plan was adopted in Saxony almost immediately.
Hermann Köchly | Biography
The legitimacy of the reform of grammar in 1933 was never adopted by certain political groups in West Belarus, unlike, e.g., KPZB, neither by the emigrants, who left Belarus after 1944. This rejection was made an issue of ideology, and presented as anti-Russification. One of the most vocal critics was Jan Stankievič, beginning with his 1936 publication. However, rejecting all post-1933 official developments, the community was left with all the problems of the pre-1933 grammar virtually unaddressed and effectively with no unified grammar to use. After the 1930s Taraškievica was primarily used by the Belarusian diaspora abroad. The only wide-scale use of the pre-1933 grammar on the territory of Belarus after the 1930s took place during the German occupation of Belarus in 1941–1944.
Taraškievica | After 1933
The Border Committee was created by decree of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus on September 20, 1991. To manage the border units and subunits, the General Directorate of the Border Troops ( was established by order of the Supreme Soviet on January 15, 1992 under the Council of Ministers. To create a legal basis for their activities, the Supreme Council adopted Law No. 1908-XII “On the State Border of the Republic of Belarus”, and Law No. 1911-XII “On the Border Troops of the Republic of Belarus” on November 4-5, 1992. On August 19, 1993, a law was adopted by the Council of Ministers decree on the official creation of the Border Troops of Belarus.
State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus | History
After adopting the proposal, the IEC published the standard in January 1999.
Kibibyte | History
Following the end of the conflict, it was adopted by the Hungarian Air Force, the Royal Romanian Air Force and the Royal Yugoslav Air Force.
Aviatik (Berg) D.I | Introduction
"The Song of an Italian Girl", although dated by Nalbandian himself to 1859, was more likely written in 1860–61. It is inspired by the Italian unification movement and the 5th century Armenian historian Yeghishe's description of Armenian women. The lyrics of the poem were adopted by the government of the First Republic of Armenia (1918–20) for the country's national anthem, "Mer Hayrenik" ("Our Fatherland"), the poem's "incipit". The anthem was reinstated by the government of Armenia on 1 July 1991 with some changes.
Mikayel Nalbandian | Poetry
Regulations regarding Belarusian citizenship were issued by the Belarusian government from 1917-1991 and by the government of the Soviet Union from 1924-1991. The "Aliens Decree" was issued on 4 August 1922, by the Sovnarkom of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. According to this decree, all subjects of the former Russian Empire who had permanent residence in the Byelorussian SSR, including refugees, were recognized as citizens of the Byelorussian SSR. Citizens of other Soviet Republics (such as the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) shared common rights and obligations with citizens of the Byelorussian SSR. All adults (except in the cases listed below) could apply for Belarusian SSR citizenship, and the children younger than 14 years of age of those who were granted Belarusian SSR citizenship acquired Byelorussian SSR citizenship automatically; the consent of children over 14 was necessary.
Belarusian citizenship | Belarusian citizenship from 1917 to 1991
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
According to the "Code of Marriage, family and guardianship" of Belarusian SSR promulgated in 1927:
Belarusian citizenship | Belarusian citizenship from 1917 to 1991
It was instituted in the 1950s.
Publiekrechtelijke Bedrijfsorganisatie | Introduction
The flag dimensions were also formally established as 1:2 for the first time. This flag remained in use until the adoption of the 1951 flag, which did away with the letters.
Flag of Belarus | 1919–1951
The result was "Mury", which became one of his most famous compositions after it was adopted by the Polish trade union Solidarność and sung at countless rallies, meetings, protests and strikes throughout Poland during the 1980s. Later, a Belarusian language adaptation of the Polish version became a symbol of the 2020 Belarusian protests.
L'Estaca | Introduction
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 the Belarusian language law remained in force, and a Belarusization policy was initiated which aimed at linguistic Belarusization of the most important areas of public life within ten years. Particular attention was drawn to the educational system. This policy, however, was rejected by large parts of the society, and this prompted Alexander Lukashenko to take up the issue of allegedly "forceful Belarusization" in his first presidential campaign in 1994. After being elected, in 1995 Lukashenko initiated a controversial referendum in which according to official data 88.3% of the participants supported an equal status for the Russian and Belarusian language.
Languages of Belarus | Development since the collapse of the Soviet Union
The new constitution was approved by the Supreme Council in October 1992 and submitted to popular vote. The constitution was approved in a referendum on 25 October 1992. Seventy-five per cent of those voting (57% of all eligible voters) voted in favor of adopting the document, with a turnout of 75.3%.
Constitution of Lithuania | Adoption
Although Lukashenko and the Supreme Soviet had signed an agreement that the Soviet would have the final decision on whether to adopt the constitutional amendments, Lukashenko broke the agreement. After the constitution was promulgated a new House of Representatives was assembled, with only Lukashenko loyalists admitted. Around sixty members of the Supreme Soviet who rejected the new constitution continued to work in the Soviet, which was recognised as the legitimate parliament by the international community.
1996 Belarusian referendum | Aftermath
All policies of korenization were radically reversed with the onset of Stalinism and Soviet government's promotion of Russian language as the sole state language and the required .
Belarusization | Introduction
This flag remained in use until the adoption of the 1951 flag. In September 1991, the white-red-white flag was reintroduced as the new flag of the newly independent Belarus.
Flag of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic | Previous flags of the Soviet era
Adoption () is a 1975 Hungarian drama film directed by Márta Mészáros. It tells the story of Kata, an unmarried female factory worker, who becomes interested in neglected children and tries to adopt one. It was entered into the 25th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Bear. The film was also selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 48th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Adoption (film) | Introduction
During the Nazi era only the first stanza was used, followed by the SA song "Horst-Wessel-Lied". It was played at occasions of great national significance such as the opening of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin when Hitler and his entourage, along with Olympic officials, walked into the stadium amid a chorus of three thousand Germans singing "". In this way, the first verse became closely identified with the Nazi regime.
Deutschlandlied | Official adoption
In the 18th century the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a federal entity consisting of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, faced a period of decline due to increasingly dysfunctional internal politics. In a belated attempt to rectify the situation, a constitution was adopted on May 3, 1791 – one of the oldest codified national constitutions in the world. The new constitution abolished the liberum veto and banned the szlachta's confederations, features that had crippled decision making the state. The constitution also provided for a separation of powers among legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, established "popular sovereignty" and extended political rights to the bourgeoisie.
Constitution of Belarus | Constitution of May 3, 1791
The Act was adopted in the aftermath of the coup attempt on 19 August when hardline Communist leaders of the Soviet Union tried to restore central Communist party control over the USSR. In response (during a tense 11-hour extraordinary session), the Supreme Soviet (parliament) of the Ukrainian SSR in a special Saturday session overwhelmingly approved the Act of Declaration. The Act passed with 321 votes in favor, 2 votes against, and 6 abstentions (out of 360 attendants). The text was largely composed during the night of 23 August–24 August mainly by Levko Lukyanenko, Serhiy Holovatyi, Mykhailo Horyn, Ivan Zayets and Vyacheslav Chornovil.
Declaration of Independence of Ukraine | Adoption
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
A well-known act of heraldic adoption, as a symbolic gesture by Poland, was the admission into Poland's nobility of Catholic boyar nobles from Lithuania and Ruthenia in connection with the Union of Horodło in 1413. Whereby, forty-seven selected Lithuanian/Ruthenian nobles were adopted into Poland's nobility and granted Polish coats of arms.
Heraldic adoption | Union of Horodło
This resolution was outlawed and replaced by Law N 288-З on May 18, 2004.
Hero of Belarus | Legislation
The motto comes from the rebel movement of 1863-1864. Belarusian poet Yanka Kupala ended his poem "This is a cry that Belarus lives" from 1905—1907 with this phrase. In December 1917 the First All-Belarusian Congress took place with a flag with the inscription "Long Live the Free Belarus!".
Long Live Belarus! | History
The referendum that was held to adopt the state symbols took place on 14 May 1995. With a voter turnout of 64.7%, the new flag was approved by a majority in the ratio of three to one (75.1% to 24.9%). The other three questions were also passed by the voters. The way of carrying out the referendum as well as the legality of questioning the national symbols on a referendum was heavily criticised by the opposition. Opposition parties claimed that only 48.7% of the entire voting population (75.1% of the 64.7% who showed at the polling stations) supported the adoption of the new flag, but Belarusian law (as in many other countries) states that only a majority of voters is needed to decide on a referendum issue.
Flag of Belarus | 1995 referendum
In these territories, as well as in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (ruled by Anna Jagiellon) and in the Papal States, the new calendar was implemented on the date specified by the bull, with Julian Thursday, 4 October 1582, being followed by Gregorian Friday, 15 October 1582; the Spanish and Portuguese colonies followed somewhat later "de facto" because of delay in communication. Other Catholic countries soon followed. France adopted the new calendar with Sunday, 9 December 1582, being followed by Monday, 20 December 1582. The Dutch provinces of Brabant and Zeeland, and the States General adopted it on 25 December of that year; the provinces forming the Southern Netherlands (modern Belgium) except the Duchy of Brabant adopted it on 1 January 1583; the province of Holland adopted it on 12 January 1583.
Adoption of the Gregorian calendar | Adoption in Catholic countries
The boy is adopted by a Soviet journalist for "Pravda", Mikhail Koltsov, and his partner, the German journalist Maria Osten, who took the boy in 1935 to the Soviet Union. The boy's arrival in the Soviet Union was a very highly publicized event at the time, as it was a demonstration of the cooperation of fellow Communists to save a young boy from having to grow up in Nazi Germany. The boy was toured all around the country and he was even taken to visit Marshals Mikhail Tukhachevsky and Semyon Budyonny in the Kremlin. The family's fate, however, changed, when Joseph Stalin began to purge the party ranks.
Maria Osten | Introduction
The adoption did not become official until 1966.
Johanna Hellman | Family
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 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
This change was controversial with traditionalists and, for several years afterwards, it was not uncommon to hear people still singing the old lyrics at public events. In contrast, the French lyrics are unchanged from the original version.
O Canada | Adoption
The composition of lyrics were assigned to Georgi Dzhagarov and Dmitry Metodiev, while the melody of the anthem was revised with further harmonization by Philip Kutev and Alexander Raichev. Under Zhivkov's orders, Georgi Dzhagarov and Dimitar Metodiev were resided in the Vrana Palace to compose the text of Mila Rodino.
Mila Rodino | Adoption as the national anthem
Citizenship is given to a child upon adoption if at least one parent is a citizen.
Citizenship Act (Slovakia) | Requirements
Myechyslaw Ivanavich Hryb (, , , born on 25 September 1938) was the eleventh Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus from 28 January 1994 to 10 January 1996. In his capacity as the head of state, Hryb adopted the first Constitution of Belarus. He succeeded Stanislav Shushkevich and was head of state from 28 January to 20 July 1994 until Alexander Lukashenko replaced him in the new office called President of Belarus, which became the new head of state office. He continued as a parliamentary speaker. Hryb is now a politician in the opposition and a member of the Social-Democratic Party.
Myechyslaw Hryb | Introduction
A seven-question referendum was held in Belarus on 24 November 1996. Four questions were put forward by President Alexander Lukashenko on changing the date of the country's independence day, amending the constitution, changing laws on the sale of land and the abolition of the death penalty. The Supreme Council put forward three questions on constitutional amendments by the Communist and Agrarian factions, local elections and the national finances. All of Lukashenko's proposals were approved, namely changing Belarus's national day, amending the constitution, and retaining the death penalty and a ban on land sales. Voter turnout was claimed to be 84.1%.
1996 Belarusian referendum | Introduction
The draft response provided for Hughes stated that 'while no final decision has been come to', "The Soldier's Song" was 'at present accepted as the National Anthem', However, this wording was vetoed by Cosgrave, and in the Dáil chamber Hughes responded simply 'The "Soldier's Song."' In 1928, the Army band established the practice of playing only the chorus of the song as the Anthem, because the longer version was discouraging audiences from singing along. Also in 1928, Chief Justice Hugh Kennedy, returning from an official trip to North America, reported that an official arrangement of the music was "very badly needed" for circulation abroad.
Amhrán na bhFiann | Official adoption
Everyone in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus is supposed to have a tripartite name. Single mothers may give their children any patronym and this does not have any legal consequences. Foreigners who adopt Russian citizenship are exempted from having a patronym. Now, an adult person is entitled to change patronyms if necessary such as to alienate themselves from the biological father (or to show respect for the adopted one) as well as to decide the same for an underage child.
Eastern Slavic naming customs | Legal basis
After Lukashenko assumed the presidency in 1994, he stated his intention to amend the recently passed Constitution. The amendments, according to Lukashenko, would expand the power of his office, marking a turning point in post-Soviet era politics in Belarus. A May 1995 national referendum was the first step in the amendment process. Out of the four questions, one asked if the president could disband parliament if the members violate national law. The vote, which several Supreme Soviet deputies protested, resulted in 77% in favor of the provision regarding the dismissal of the legislature by the president. Other questions on the ballot, such as the national flag and national emblem, didn't affect the Constitution as a whole, but their status has been decided by the Constitution.
Constitution of Belarus | Amendments
"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 republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945, the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR. The parliament of the republic proclaimed the sovereignty of Belarus on 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 1991. In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State. Alexander Lukashenko has served as the country's first president since 1994. Belarus has been labeled "Europe's last dictatorship" by some Western journalists, on account of the country's poor human rights record and Lukashenko's self-described authoritarian style of government.
Belarus | Introduction
Given that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish People, Jewish law has impacted the development of its secular laws; and that does not exclude adoption. Israel's 'Adoption of Children Law' was introduced by the Knesset in 1960. This law created a compromise between Halacha and the secular legal system, in that it had the effect of legally severing the relationship between biological parents and children, in accordance with Roman law, without interfering in the religious laws regarding the prohibition and permission of marriage and divorce. The law also pertained that there was to be no adoption of a person over the age of 18, and that the prospective adopter needed to be at least 18 years older than the adoptee.
Adoption in Judaism | Adoption in Israel
After the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Belarusization came into full effect, with Belarusian becoming the only state language, and children started receiving education in Belarusian. However, after the accession to power of Aleksandr Lukashenko, in 1995 a referendum was held on Russian language, most people voting for Russian to become the second state language in Belarus. After a while, the use of Belarusian has dwindled, and in today's Belarus, Russian is dominant in everyday life.
Belarusization | Post-Soviet era
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
The bull "Inter gravissimas" was immediately adopted by the major Catholic powers of Europe, but the Protestant countries refused to adopt it until the 18th century, and Eastern European countries adopted it only during or after World War I (the last European country to adopt it was Greece, in 1923). Most Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches have not adopted it at all and continue to reckon their ecclesiastical years by the Julian calendar, even though their home countries use the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes.
Inter gravissimas | Adoption
It took quite a long time before January 1 again became the universal or standard start of the civil year. The years of adoption of 1 January as the new year are as follows: March 1 was the first day of the numbered year in the Republic of Venice until its destruction in 1797, and in Russia from 988 until 1492 (Anno Mundi 7000 in the Byzantine calendar). September 1 was used in Russia from 1492 (A.M. 7000) until the adoption of the Anno Domini notation in 1700 via a December 1699 decree of Tsar Peter I.
New Year | Adoptions of January 1
General Assembly adopted a resolution recommending the adoption and implementation of the Plan as the United Nations Resolution 181.
Ivan Samylovsky | The Palestine question 1944 – June 1947
Before the official adoption of the lyrics, the Kremlin released a section of the anthem, which made a reference to the flag and coat of arms:
National anthem of Russia | Modern adoption
More calls for constitutional reform came in 1996. President Lukashenko unilaterally established the referendum after the Supreme Council refused to support the measures or set up a date for the vote. An earlier attempt by the Supreme Council to establish their own referendum in September 1996 was struck down as "inconsistent with the Constitution" by the Constitutional Court. The referendum amended the Constitution mostly to strengthen the power of the presidency. Amongst the changes made were the following: 1- The Supreme Council, the unicameral parliament of Belarus, was abolished. The Supreme Soviet was replaced by the National Assembly, a bicameral parliament; 2- The term of President Alexander Lukashenko was extended from 1999 until 2001.
Constitution of Belarus | 1996
In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, different states arose competing for legitimacy amidst the Civil War, ultimately ending in the rise of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR) which became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921). Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II. During WWII, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources.
Belarus | 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
The Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was a formal document issued by the Supreme Soviet of Belarus to assert its independence from the Soviet Union. Passed on July 27, 1990, the Declaration started the process of Belarus' eventual independence on August 25, 1991. Until 1996, July 27th was celebrated as Independence Day in Belarus. It effectively renamed the Byelorussian SSR to the Republic of Belarus and established the basis for all state symbols, such as the National flag and coat of arms, the national anthem, and the national colors. It also defined the national currency, military, and language.
Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic | Introduction
Ennoblement in the Kingdom of Poland
Heraldic adoption | See also
On 15 January 1992, the music for the State Anthem of Ukraine was adopted by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and was later instituted in the Ukrainian constitution. However, the lyrics for the anthem were not officially adopted until 6 March 2003, when the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on the state anthem of Ukraine (Закон "Про Державний гімн України"), proposed by then president Leonid Kuchma. The law proposed Mykhailo Verbytsky's music and Pavlo Chubynsky's first verse and refrain of his poem "". However, the first stanza of the anthem was to be changed from "" to "". The law was passed with an overwhelming majority of 334 votes out of 450, with only 46 MPs opposing.
Shche ne vmerla Ukraina | Since independence
Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony, and was officially adopted in 1980. Calixa Lavallée wrote the music, which was a setting of a patriotic poem composed by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. The text was originally only in French before it was adapted into English in 1906.
Canada | Music
The adoption of the law did not start the deportation process what is usually ignored and not mentioned by Esterházy admirers and it is considered to be controvert (not exclusively negative or positive) step by historians dealing with holocaust in Slovak Republic (1939–45). The assembly refused to legalize deportations already in March (when the deportations began) despite strong pressure of radicals. After unsuccessful trials to stop deportations and failure of negotiation with pro-Nazi prime minister Vojtech Tuka, the chairman of the assembly Martin Sokol concluded with some other deputies that existence or non-existence of the official law has a none impact on the fact that Jews are deported, but its adoption can save part of them.
János Esterházy | Deportation law
This event was Belarus' declaration of independence from the Soviet Union. On 25 August 1991, after the August events in Moscow, the Byelorussian SSR gave the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic constitutional status. On 19 September 1991, the Permanent Representative of the Byelorussian SSR Hienadz Buraukin informed the office of the Secretary General of the United Nations that the country would officially henceforth be known simply as "Belarus".
Independence Day (Belarus) | History
The song attributed to Eckert was established by the military in 1902. A version of Eckert's song with different lyrics began to be officially implemented in the schools in 1904. All the schools were forced to sing the version of the song. The policy is thought of as a by-product of the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 and the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907.
Aegukga | Origins
The Supreme Soviet voted to do so on November 1, 1939 and on November 15 a law was passed making the former eastern Polish territories a part of the Belarusian SSR. On October 30, the People's Assembly of Western Belarus session held in Belastok (Polish Białystok) affirmed the Soviet decision to join the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) with the USSR. The petition was officially accepted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on November 2 and by the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR on November 12, 1939. From then on, all citizens of Poland but also born in Poland would find themselves living in the Byelorussian SSR as the Soviet subjects, without the recognition of their Polish citizenship.
Soviet annexation of Western Belorussia | Annexation of eastern half of interwar Poland
Unique assembly of trees and bushes from the different countries of the world (it is more than 150 kinds), landed in the middle of 19th century in V.N.Polivanova's manor. It was created as nursery of coniferous breeds for protection of farmland against sandy drifts.
Akshuat dendropark | The basis for creation of the protected area and its importance
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
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, many Abkhazians kept their Soviet passports, even after a decade, and used them to eventually apply for Russian citizenship. Before 2002, Russian law allowed residents of former Soviet Union to apply for citizenship if they had not become citizens of their newly independent states. The procedure was extremely complex. The new citizenship law of Russia adopted on 31 May 2002 introduced a simplified procedure of citizenship acquisition for former citizens of the Soviet Union regardless of their place of residence. In Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the application process was simplified even further, and people could apply even without leaving their homes.
Abkhazia | Adoption of Russian nationality