Holidays in Venezuela - Youth Day

On February 12, Youth Day is celebrated in Venezuela This national holiday is celebrated every year in memory of the young men who fought and died desperately at the Battle of La Victoria in February 1814 At the beginning of the 19th century (1811), the war of independence began in Venezuela Bloody battles lasted 10 years and ended only in 1821 The people of Venezuela defended their independence against Spain One of the most significant events of the war was the Battle of La Victoria, which took place on February 12, 1814 Due to the lack of a regular army, the leader of Venezuela, José Felix Ribos, created a detachment consisting of young inexperienced students, as well as representatives of the seminary, and told them: “We have no choice between death and victory, we must win the battle” Despite the significant superiority of the enemy, Ribas' army won the battle and defended its hometown After several hours of resistance, they were able to stop the enemy troops In 1985, a monument to José Felix Ribos showing young people how to shoot a rifle was erected in the main square of La Victoria The author of the sculptural group was Eloy Palacios, a famous Venezuelan artist, sculptor and painter of that time On February 12, 1947, the Constituent Assembly of the country adopted a resolution on the annual celebration of the anniversary in memory of the teenagers from the Ribas detachment who fought against the restoration of Spanish power and achieved this significant victory The young people who participated in the battles became an example of true patriotism for the modern youth of Venezuela Every year, on the day of the anniversary celebration, a solemn military-civilian parade is held in La Victoria, which attracts thousands of boys and girls from all over the country At a rally organized in 2019, Head of State Nicolas Maduro urged residents not to forget the feat of the young heroes who defended Caracas from Spanish soldiers in 1814 during the battles for independence, and to take an active part in the public life of Venezuela “The students who gathered at La Victoria to prevent enemies from entering Caracas are true national heroes,” the president said “We need to remember the history of our state, such historical dates allow us to understand today’s events It is important to feel part of something bigger, because we are the children of liberators Centuries later, your current generation will also become part of history, like those students who managed to maintain peace in Venezuela" As the president said, it is important that young people strive to study, play sports, and develop culture The head of Venezuela called on all those present to join youth unions and organizations Maduro said that the government is creating a new youth association and aims to increase the number of its members to 2 million people The President called on those gathered at the rally to soon start going around their acquaintances and neighbors to invite teenagers to join the new organization “We will not wait for young people to come to us We will come to it ourselves,” Maduro said