Independence Day (South Ossetia)

Independence Day of South Ossetia
Armoured hardware during the 2009 parade.
Official name День независимости Южной Осетии
Observed by  South Ossetia
Significance Declaration of Independence of South Ossetia (1990)
Celebrations
  • Military parade
  • Concerts
  • Traditional Festivals
  • Speeches by Ossetian and Russian officials
Date September 20
Next time 20 September 2019 (2019-09-20)
Frequency annual
Related to

The Independence Day of South Ossetia (Russian:День независимости Южной Осетии) is the main state holiday in the partially recognized Republic of South Ossetia. This date is celebrated on September 20. It commemorates South Ossetia's declaration of independence from the Georgian SSR in 1990, and the country's recognition as a sovereign state by Russia in 2008.

Background

South Ossetia first declared its independence from Georgia in 1920 following the Russian Revolution in Russia.[1] After the Soviet Army invaded Georgia in 1921, the government declared South Ossetia an autonomous region within the Georgian SSR.[1] On September 20, 1990, the Council of People's Deputies of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast adopted a declaration of sovereignty of the new republic. In 1992 proclaimed South Ossetia proclaimed independence.[2] In August 2008, South Ossetia was recognized by Russia, Venezuela, Nauru, and Nicaragua, other unrecognized counties such as Artsakh, Abkhazia and Transnistria following the week long Russo-Georgian War of 2008.[3][4][5]

Events Held on this Day

An annual military parade is held on Theatre Square as the main holiday event. The parade involves the ceremonial review of the troops of the Tskhinvali Garrison by the Minister of Defense, a speech by the President of South Ossetia, the playing of the national anthem by the Military Brass Band of the Ministry of Defense. and the parade of the Armed Forces of South Ossetia past the central grandstand. After the marchpast, demonstrations and traditional Ossetian events are held.[6]

Concerts are also held in stadiums and music centers in the capital and throughout the country.

Notable anniversaries

  • 1990 – The Council of People's Deputies of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast adopts the Declaration of Independence of South Ossetia.
  • 2008 – The country celebrates its first independence day since its recognition as a sovereign state by the government of the Russian Federation 4 weeks earlier. The parade involved Georgian armored vehicles, including Turkish-made wheeled light armored vehicles, taken from retreating Georgian forces during the August war. Following the parade, Georgian flags were thrown to the ground by South Ossetian militiamen, resembling how Soviet soldiers threw German flags on Red Square during the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945.[7][8]
  • 2012 - The Russian Centre for Science and Culture was opened. The Radio Station "Echo of the Caucasus" reported that Theatre Square hosted a concert with the participation of artistic groups sucha as the Krasnodar brass band.[9]
  • 2018 – Marks the 10th anniversary of recognition by Russia.[10] More than 2,000 residents took part in a theatrical performance, headlined "South Ossetia: the story of courage," that looked into the republic’s history from the Medieval Kingdom of Alania to present day. The celebratiobs were attended by representatives of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, as well as Syria’s ambassador to Russia Riad Haddad and parliamentary delegations from Nauru, Italy and Abkhazia.[11][12]

See also

Videos

References

  1. 1 2 "South Ossetia * | Country report | Freedom in the World | 2009". freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  2. ↑ "South Ossetia profile". BBC News. 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  3. ↑ "Праздники Южной Осетии в проекте Календарь Праздников 2017". www.calend.ru. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  4. ↑ Levy, Clifford J. (2008-08-26). "Russia Backs Independence of Georgian Enclaves". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  5. ↑ http://calendr.net/holiday/1425
  6. ↑ Sputnik. "День республики в Южной Осетии отметили военным парадом". sputnik-ossetia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  7. ↑ Georgia, Civil. "Civil.Ge | Tskhinvali Celebrated 'Independence Day'". www.civil.ge. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
  8. ↑ Gutterman, Steve (2008-09-21). "Russia resolute on troop levels". Boston.com. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  9. ↑ "South Ossetia celebrates Independence Day". Caucasian Knot. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  10. ↑ https://eurasianet.org/s/on-tenth-anniversary-of-russian-recognition-south-ossetians-unsure-what-to-celebrate
  11. ↑ http://tass.com/world/1018683/amp
  12. ↑ http://oc-media.org/syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-to-visit-south-ossetia/
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