FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY: Serbia and Republika Srpska jointly celebrate Sretenje, Vučić visiting Banja Luka!

This year, Republika Srpska and Serbia will jointly celebrate Sretenje – Serbia’s Statehood Day and Republika Srpska’s Statehood Day for the first time, with the festivities starting with a formal ceremony in Banja Luka. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will attend the celebration in Banja Luka during his two-day official visit to Republika Srpska.

The Palace of Republika Srpska will be illuminated in the colors of the Serbian tricolor flag on Saturday and Sunday, according to a statement from Dodik’s office.

The formal ceremony marking Sretenje, Serbia’s Statehood Day, and Republika Srpska’s Statehood Day will be held at 6 p.m. in the “Borik” sports hall in Banja Luka.

According to the Protocol of the Republika Srpska Presidency, on Friday, February 14, Aleksandar Vučić will be welcomed with the highest state honors in front of the Palace of the Republic.

Following the welcome ceremony, Milorad Dodik and the President of Serbia will hold a one-on-one meeting, followed by a meeting between delegations from Republika Srpska and Serbia.

Press statements by Vučić and Dodik are scheduled after the meetings.

FIND OUT MORE IN ENGLISH:

Awards Ceremony and Clinic Opening

On the same day at noon, awards will be presented to distinguished individuals and organizations at the Banski Dvor Cultural Center in Banja Luka, followed by the official opening of the new Orthopedic Surgery Clinic building at the “Dr. Miroslav Zotović” Institute in Slatina.

The joint celebration of Sretenje – Serbia’s Statehood Day and Republika Srpska’s Statehood Day is one of the conclusions from the All-Serbian Assembly held last summer in Belgrade.

Serbia’s Statehood Day, Sretenje, is a national holiday celebrated on February 15 and 16, commemorating the day the First Serbian Uprising was launched in Orašac in 1804, marking the beginning of the Serbian Revolution.

It is also celebrated as Serbia’s Constitution Day, in memory of the adoption and oath confirmation of the first Constitution of the Principality of Serbia – the Sretenje Constitution – in Kragujevac in 1835.

This is considered the most significant date in Serbia’s political, cultural, and historical calendar.

Serbia’s Statehood Day was celebrated until the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, after which it was abolished.

The holiday was reinstated as a national holiday in the Republic of Serbia on July 10, 2001, and has been celebrated annually since February 15, 2002.

From 1990 to 2001, Serbia’s Statehood Day was celebrated on March 28, commemorating the adoption of amendments to the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Serbia on March 28, 1989, which significantly reduced the powers of autonomous provinces.

From 1945 to 1990, the only republican holiday in Socialist Republic of Serbia was the Day of the Uprising of the People of Serbia, which was also abolished in 2001.