General Serbian Consul in Banja Luka Vladimir Nikolić is organizing a reception in Banja Luka to mark February 15th – Serbian National Day.
Representatives of the political, cultural and public life of Republic of Srpska and BiH are expected to attend the ceremony at the Banski Dvor Cultural Center.
Serbia celebrates February 15th – Statehood Day, commemorating the day when the First Serbian Uprising was erected in 1804 in Orašac and the day when the First Constitution of the Principality of Serbia – Sretenjski Constitution was approved in 1835 in Kragujevac.
At the Assembly in Orašac, on February 15, 1804, the Serbian uprising, led by Đorđe Petrović – Karađorđe, decided to launch the First Serbian Uprising.
The insurgent rally in Orašac marks the beginning of the restoration of Serbian statehood after centuries of Ottoman rule.
In the next few years, the insurgent army defeated Turkish forces in liberated battles near Ivankovac, Deligrad, Mišar, Belgrade and other places and liberated almost the entire territory of the Belgrade Pašaluk.
In doing so, the Serbs began a liberation struggle against the Ottoman authorities and the process of creating their own modern state.
Also, on February 15, 1835, the Sretenje Constitution, the first constitution of Serbia and one of the most democratic and liberal constitutions of the time, was adopted in Kragujevac.
The Constitution divided the power into legislative, executive and judicial branches, and the power consisted of the prince, the state council, and the national assembly.
Citizens’ rights and freedoms were proclaimed, such as an independent judiciary and the right to a lawful trial, freedom of movement and settlement, inviolability of housing, the right to choose a profession, equality of citizens regardless of religion and nationality.
Serbia’s National Day is marked by a series of events, and it has been celebrated again since 2002.
TST