DODIK: CANDLEMAS - HOLIDAY OF SERB EXISTENCE AND IDENTITY

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 13 /SRNA/ – SNSD Leader Milorad Dodik congratulated all citizens of the Republic of Serbia and Republika Srpska on February 15, Statehood Day – Candlemas, emphasizing that it is a holiday of all Serbs wherever they live, as it is a great and important date in the glorious history of the Serb people.

Recalling that, on the occasion of Statehood Day, the Palace of the Republic will be illuminated for three evenings in the colours of the flags of Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbia, Dodik told SRNA that Candlemas is one of the brightest, and most sacred dates in the history of Serbs, as it marked the foundations of modern Serb statehood — the day when the First Serbian Uprising was launched and the Candlemas Constitution was adopted, a symbol of the Serb people’s freedom-loving thought and state maturity. He pointed out that Candlemas always reminds us that statehood is not a formality but a responsibility, that institutions must be strengthened, national interests safeguarded, and that unity and togetherness have no alternative. "Only united and aware of our history can we build a secure future," Dodik said, recalling that Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbia established the joint celebration of Candlemas as Statehood Day through the Declaration protecting national and Political rights and the common future of the Serb people, adopted at the Pan-Serb Assembly in Belgrade in June 2024. "It is a holiday that confirms the unbreakable bond of our people on both sides of the Drina - a bond of history, culture, language, and a shared struggle for survival and dignity, confirming that the Drina is not a border but a link between one and the same people," the SNSD leader stressed. He emphasized that Republika Srpska was created as an expression of the will of the Serb people to be their own masters in their own land, to have the right to political representation, institutions, and protection of their identity. "Serbia has been and remains our support and a guarantor of national stability, while Srpska is a pledge that the Serb people west of the Drina will never again be without their voice and their freedom, that they will never again be oppressed and humiliated," Dodik stated. He expressed his wish that Candlemas, February 15, remain forever marked as a reminder that Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbia are pillars of Serb identity and that it is our duty to preserve and strengthen them. "It is a date that speaks about us, about how important we are to one another, that bears witness to our existence and defines our identity. Long live Republika Srpska! Long live Serbia!" SNSD leader Milorad Dodik said on the occasion of marking Candlemas – Statehood Day of both Republika Srpska and the Republic of Serbia.