Dear colleagues, partners and friends!
On November 7, our country will celebrate the next anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. For young citizens, this “red day on the calendar” apparently means little. But one cannot deny the collective Memory of people of the older generation – those who were born and lived in the Soviet Union – and for whom this holiday was and remains one of the most revered.
Despite the fact that recently not a single political party has taken upon itself the courage to completely abandon the “legacy of the Great October Revolution,” Belarus is one of the few countries that has preserved this tradition. According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of March 26, 1998, the Day of the October Socialist Revolution – November 7 – remains in the Calendar of public holidays and is still a non-working day. It intertwines the destinies of many generations of people who were influenced by the epoch-making event of the 20th century. The Great October Revolution “left its mark” on the entire course of world history.
Let’s not go into his assessments. It is difficult for modern Belarusians to draw detailed and final conclusions and lessons from the history of October. But the undeniable fact is that he brought Tsarist Russia out of centuries of devastation, poverty and backwardness. He opened up a non-capitalist path of development for her. Raised science to cosmic heights. Provided ordinary citizens with access to education and free medicine. Guaranteed the right to work and rest. For many decades, the ideas of the Great October Revolution illuminated the path to progress for dozens of countries around the world. By setting universal human values and democracy as its main goal, October was able to gather progressive strata of humanity under its banner. And it is not his fault that these achievements and merits are now being called into question.
Indeed, the history of this holiday for most Soviet republics ended with the collapse of the Union. But even today, so many years later, it is difficult for those “born in the USSR” to deny the significance of this date in the history of Belarus. After all, it was the October Revolution that brought many peoples, including Belarusian, freedom – choice, rights, independence.
Therefore, November 7 is a tribute to the generation of people who, with their destinies, wrote bright pages in the history of the state. With all its historical ambiguity, the Great October holiday helps to better understand and appreciate the past. Understand the present. Look into the future. This is another one of those symbols that unite people of different generations into one nation.
On this holiday we wish you and your family good health, happiness, tranquility and peace, new labor achievements for the benefit of the Republic of Belarus!
From the history of the holiday.
On the night of November 7–8, 1917, an uprising occurred in Petrograd. At the signal, which was the shot of the cruiser Aurora, armed workers, soldiers and sailors captured the Winter Palace, overthrew the Provisional Government and proclaimed Soviet Power.
The revolution of 1917 became one of the most significant events of the 20th century and radically influenced the course of subsequent history. People received the right to work, to education, to rest, and the right to participate in governing the country.
Thanks to the October Revolution, the Belarusian people gained statehood, created economic and intellectual potential, preserved and enriched the national culture.
Until 1991, November 7 was the main holiday of the USSR and bore a more solemn name than now – the Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Throughout the Soviet era, November 7 was a “red day of the calendar,” that is, a public holiday, which was celebrated not only with a special color in the diary, but also with mandatory labor demonstrations that took place in every city in the country.
The history of this holiday ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the debunking of communist ideology. In Russia, the holiday was first renamed the Day of Harmony and Reconciliation, and then abolished altogether. In Belarus, this holiday is still celebrated, but has received a new name – October Revolution Day.
By preserving this day among other memorable dates, we thereby pay tribute to millions of people for whom for many years this was the main holiday of the state.
