International holidays - Day of Friendship and Unity of the Slavs

The Day of Friendship and Unity of the Slavs is a holiday that belongs to the Slavs all over the world, of whom, according to various estimates, there are about 300-350 million people, constituting the largest cultural and linguistic community The date, June 25, was proposed by activists of public associations in the late 90s of the 20th century, when they realized the loss of the connecting thread between the Slavic peoples due to the collapse of the USSR The creative All-Union festival “Small Motherland”, first organized in 1957, was taken as a basis After 1991, with the further isolation of countries from each other, the Slavic peoples also began to move away, because the states became independent There are three ethnic categories of Slavs: western (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland), eastern (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), southern (Bulgaria, Montenegro) In total, they include about 20 nations Not everyone constitutes a national majority in their countries, such as Russia, which managed to preserve its identity and defend its independence Until the end of the 19th century, the Slavic peoples were part of the largest empires of their time: the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman, which left its mark This holiday has no connection to religious beliefs An example would be Bosnia, which, under the influence of the Ottoman Empire, which conquered it, converted to Islam Even among the Eastern Slavs there are many not only Orthodox, but also Catholics and Uniates The ancient Slavs were not Christians as they are now From time immemorial, the main religion was paganism The Slavs are such a unique ethno-linguistic community that scientists, historians and linguists have still not come to a common opinion on what exact word the name came from Historical monuments could serve as a basis, but they are also quite contradictory Discovered Byzantine and Greek sources dating back to the 6th century AD e quite contradictory Based on archaeological data, it was established that from the 2nd millennium BC A special ethnic group of Indo-European tribes began to form, which began its migration and expansion, and by the 5th century had achieved noticeable progress Having gained control over Byzantium, moving east and west, in the 8th century a single space, linguistic and cultural, was created But as far as writing is concerned, there is clarity here It appeared thanks to Cyril and Methodius, who adapted the church language to record Slavic speech: now it is known as Old Church Slavonic Not only a common history, but also a centuries-old culture, customs, and creativity unite modern Slavs It is annoying to note that political issues bring negativity to the strengthening of peace and harmony between the descendants of the ancient Slavs, especially in the three traditionally close countries - Russia, Belarus and Ukraine The “Slavic Unity” festival dedicated to this holiday is held annually on the border of these regions, where the Friendship Monument is erected It is aimed primarily at the younger generation, who should not forget their roots