Independence Day (Belarus)
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| Independence Day Дзень Незалежнасці (Belarusian) | |
|---|---|
 A 1997 commemorative stamp of Belarus honoring the sixth anniversary of independence | |
| Observed by | Belarus |
| Significance | The day Belarus was liberated from Nazi German occupation |
| Celebrations | Fireworks, concerts, parades (Minsk Independence Day Parade) |
| Date | 3 July |
| Next time | 3 July 2026 |
| Frequency | Annual |
Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Дзень Незалежнасці Рэспублікі Беларусь, romanized: Dzień Niezaliežnaści Respubliki Bielaruś, Russian: День Независимости Республики Беларусь), also known as Republic Day or Liberation Day is a public holiday, the independence day of Belarus and is celebrated each year on 3 July. Independence Day is a non-working day.
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3 July 1944 was the day of Soviet liberation of Minsk from the Wehrmacht during the Minsk Offensive (code-named "Bagration"). The decision to celebrate Independence Day on 3 July, the day of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazis, from 27 July, the day of the Declaration of Sovereignty of Belarus in breaking away from the Soviet Union, was made during a controversial national referendum held in 1996 proposed by President Alexander Lukashenko.[1] Prior to the 1996 change, July 3 was celebrated locally in Minsk as simply Minsk Day.[citation needed]
Since waves of unrest began in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, particularly in Poland, the countries in those regions sought independence from the Soviet Union. In Belarus, from 1991 to 1995 Independence Day was celebrated on 27 July, the day of the Declaration of Sovereignty of Belarus. This event was Belarus' declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.[2] On 25 August 1991, after the August events in Moscow, the Byelorussian SSR gave the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Republic constitutional status.[1]
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".[3]
On 10 December 1991, the Supreme Soviet of Belarus ratified the Belavezha Accords, which formally declared the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[4] Independence was formally received 26 December 1991 in connection with the collapse of the Soviet Union.[citation needed]
Controversy
There is a public debate in Belarus regarding the appropriate date to be considered Independence Day.[2] Since the early 1920s, various Belarusian political movements and the Belarusian diaspora have been celebrating Independence Day on 25 March as the anniversary of the 1918 declaration of independence by the Belarusian Democratic Republic.[2][5] The date is still widely celebrated by members of the democratic opposition in Belarus and by the Belarusian diaspora as Freedom Day.[citation needed]
