Serbia is celebrating the Presentation of Jesus: Two important events happened on this day that changed the course of our history

Today, Serbia marks Sretenje (Presentation of Jesus at the Temple) - Statehood Day in memory of February 15, 1804, when the First Serbian Uprising began in Orasac, and also, on the same day in 1835, when the first Serbian Constitution was proclaimed.

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The central state ceremony marking the Statehood Day will be held at the Memorial Complex in Orasac, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

On behalf of the Government of Serbia, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs Zoran Djordjevic will lay a wreath today and pay tribute to Karadjordje in the church of St. George on his grave at Oplenac, and besides him, a delegation from the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia , representatives of the Municipality of Topola...

Sretenje is a national holiday marking two significant historical dates that are important for the cultural, historical and national identity of the Serbs.

On that day in 1804, the Serbian insurrections, led by Djordje Petrovic - Karadjordje, at the Assembly in Orasac, decided to launch the First Serbian Uprising.

Foto: Wikipedia

The meeting held in Orasac is the beginning of the renewal of Serbian statehood after the Ottoman rule of several centuries.

In the next few years, the rebel army, led by Karadjordje, defeated the Ottoman forces in famous battles at Ivankovac, Deligrad, Misar, Belgrade and other places, and freed almost the whole territory of the Belgrade Eyalet. With this, the Serbs started the liberation struggle against the Ottoman authorities and the process of creating their new-born state.

Also, on February 15, 1835, the Sretenje Constitution, the first constitution of Serbia and one of the most democratic and liberal constitutions of that time, was adopted in Kragujevac.

The day before the celebration of the Statehood Day, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic presented decorations to meritorious individuals - actors, singers, academics, a few foreigners, and institutions.

Foto: Tanjug/Zoran Žestić

In his speech, President Vucic said that Serbia, celebrating the laureates, celebrates itself and its future.

As he recalled, Serbia is celebrating its day, great and important day, the Statehood day, honoring the famous ancestors, remembering their work and showing how valuable it is to live and to fight.

The day before the commemoration of the Statehood Day, an honorable artillery fire was performed in Belgrade, at the Sava terrace on Kalemegdan, on the Nis fortress, and on Petrovaradin.

The Statehood Day of Serbia is celebrated on February 15th and 16th, and we started marking it again since 2002.

VIDEO: Why are we celebrating Sretenje:

(Telegraf.co.uk / Tanjug)