Holidays of Russia, Belarus - Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia

The Grand Duchy of Moscow and some lands of North-Eastern Rus' in the fifteenth-seventeenth centuries were called White Russia (Alba Russia), and the capital of these lands was placed in the stories in Moscow The leader of the territory was called the White Tsar, in different languages ​​it sounded like Ak-Khan or Ak-Padishah Then, with the development of cartography, increasing the accuracy of land measurements and the literacy of travelers, this inaccuracy was partly corrected But if you now ask the average American where Belarus is, they will probably answer: “near Russia” It is therefore not surprising that two brotherly countries, Belarus and Russia, created a community of states after the decision was made to become independent as a result of the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The roots, destinies, history, and formation of these powers are so closely intertwined On April 2, 1996, a document was signed on the creation of the Community of Belarus and Russia Exactly a year later, this association was transformed into the Union of Belarus and Russia The agreement on it lost force after the formation of the Union State In this regard, the date April 2 is celebrated as the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia The holiday is annual; its tradition includes holding relevant events and meeting state leaders The supranational formation of the Union presupposes in the future a single territorial, economic, military, customs, cultural, humanitarian and currency space That is, achieving a state in which neither citizens of the Republic of Belarus in Russia, nor Russians in Belarus would feel like foreigners Ethnically, linguistically, and culturally, the peoples of these states are very similar We understand each other without translators, we use almost the same alphabet, we easily read texts in both languages, we are close to each other’s traditions and customs We have many common holidays and similar cuisine Russian is one of the state languages ​​in the Republic of Belarus One of the options for the origin of the naming of White Rus' is interesting Although the name suggests either white soil or the blond hair of the inhabitants, White rather referred to the direction Regarding the main lands, which were usually called Russia in those days, White Rus' was located in the west Accordingly, the western lands were called White, the eastern - Blue or Blue, the southern territories - Chervony or Red and the northern - Black It was precisely this coloristic naming of the cardinal directions that spread from the Chinese through the Mongols Confirmation of this option can be found in the name of the White Horde If the origin of the toponym is rooted in this theory, it immediately becomes clear that White Rus' is simply Western Rus' As a commemorative symbol dedicated to the event of the unification of the peoples of Belarus and Russia, a coin (in 1997) and a postage stamp (in 1996) were issued There are no widespread celebrations on this day; the date is rather official and the celebrations are aimed at popularizing the integration efforts of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation