Expert on Belarus President's landmark decision to preserve the tradition of celebrating November 7th holiday
October Revolution Day is celebrated in Belarus on November 7th, and this date is closely linked to numerous victories and labour achievements of Belarusians. Many traditions continue to be a matter of special pride: i.e. gifts are presented countrywide on this day. In his talk with Alfa Radio, Vadim Gigin, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, Director General of the National Library of Belarus, explained why such traditions need to be preserved.
As noted by Mr. Gigin, any statehood is strong in its traditions. He stressed that young sovereign Belarus had ensured continuity, and November 7th is one of the symbols of the latter.
“The preservation of this holiday by Aleksandr Lukashenko in the 1990s – when an ideological and intergenerational gap was extending – became a truly landmark decision. We are already developing our own tradition: we present gifts to Belarusians on this day – launching new facilities and completing the major projects. I personally can boast that a fully automated system for storing and retrieving books and documents has been installed at the National Library by this day.”
The MP also explained why November 7th remains a landmark date for Belarusians even in our modern times, “There were many significant events in the 20th century. Of course, the Great Patriotic War comes first in this list, as well as Victory Day of May 9th and Independence Day. Our people showed incredible solidarity by overcoming the greatest evil in the history of mankind in the most difficult conditions. Therefore, these dates are at the forefront. The events that took place prior to them were related to each other. The banners and ideas – that accompanied the 1917 Revolution – are symbols of the great Soviet country that defeated fascism in the years of the Great Patriotic War. All that created our statehood.”
