Freedom is a covenant, and statehood is a foundation preserved through national unity — this was the shared message from Orašac, where the central ceremony marking Statehood Day was held, jointly celebrated by Serbia and Republika Srpska. Sretenje, as Statehood Day, is marked in remembrance of two major events in Serb history that occurred on 15 February — the First Serb Uprising in 1804 in Orašac and the adoption of the first Constitution of Serbia in its modern history in Kragujevac in 1835. The commemoration of Sretenje was attended by the highest officials of Republika Srpska and Serbia.
On Sretenje in 1804, a decision was made at the assembly in Orašac. The First Serb Uprising was launched under the leadership of Vožd Karađorđe, as a Serb response to the Slaughter of the Knezes. It was a true turning point in the history of the Serb people. It began as a revolt against the dahijas and ended with the liberation of the Belgrade Pashalik. Thirty-one years later, again on Sretenje, the Sretenje Constitution was issued and sworn in Kragujevac.
On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, during the reign of Prince Miloš Obrenović over Serbia, an assembly of the Serb people was held in Kragujevac, where on 15 February 1835 a new Constitution of the Principality of Serbia was proclaimed — known in history as the Sretenje Constitution. Newly liberated Serbia became the fourth European state at that time to adopt its own constitution.
Thus, newly liberated Serbia showed the world that freedom is not only won on the battlefield, but also confirmed through law. Sretenje represents the awakening of national spirit and unity of the Serbs and sends the message that love for the homeland must rise above all existing differences, and that peace, which the Serb people long for, is the foundation of everything.
“In this way, a covenant was left to the entire Serb people to preserve the homeland bequeathed to them by their ancestors. Sretenje did not only mark the awakening of national spirit and unity, but thanks to one of the most liberal constitutions — the Sretenje Constitution adopted in 1835 — the foundations of a modern state and the functioning of state institutions were laid. That is why today, together with our brothers from Republika Srpska and our people wherever they live, we mark a national holiday of which we are proud and which we will always preserve, just as we preserve our hearth,” said Đuro Macut, Prime Minister of Serbia.
Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić said that in 1804 in Orašac, the Serbs raised a head that looked toward freedom, not toward harming anyone. The Serb people are free, and only through unity and solidarity can they defend themselves from all adversities, Minić emphasized.
“This is where a serious decision was born — that the Serb people want an organized community, freedom and equality, and an idea that they still cherish today. Serbs in Serbia and Republika Srpska are one people, sharing the same culture, language, faith and history, and no one can ever take that away from them. I am especially proud that when times were hardest, we made the two most important decisions — that we stand together and that we desire freedom. I believe this is the guiding star that will also determine our future generations,” said Savo Minić, Prime Minister of Republika Srpska.
In Orašac, a memorial service was held for the insurgents of 1804, officiated by Metropolitan Jovan of Šumadija, with the concelebration of priests of the Serb Orthodox Church. Delegations of Serbia and Republika Srpska laid wreaths at the monument to Vožd Karađorđe. The joint celebration of Sretenje once again confirmed national unity and served as a reminder that the Serb people, regardless of where they live, share the same values and the same covenant of freedom.
Source: RTRS
