Vucevic: St Vitus's Day cornerstone of our culture, national identity

KRUSEVAC - St Vitus's Day is the cornerstone of our culture and national identity as well as a reminder of the crucial moments and challenges we have gone through as a nation historically, Serbian PM Milos Vucevic said in Krusevac, southern Serbia, at the main ceremony that marked the national holiday of St Vitus's Day and the 635th anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo.

"St Vitus's Day is the day when the past, the present and the future intertwine," Vucevic said, noting that the fateful June 28 was not just a calendar date but a moment in time that symbolised "resilence, self-sacrifice and all that is good in us."

"St Vitus's Day is a public confession of the collective memory that cautions and awakens us, encourages us and spurs us on, and strengthens and teaches us. St Vitus's Day is also about remembering the day when we won, not lost. On this day, we remember the many martyrs who have fallen for the Fatherland, for the people and for the faith, before Kosovo, in Kosovo and after Kosovo," he said.

"Above them all stands Holy Prince Lazar, who sided with the celestial empire in 1389, rather than with the transient earthly empire. Lazar made the decision to fight despite knowing that all circumstances were against him, which embodies the spirit of St Vitus's Day - choosing honour over subjugation by injustice, by those who are stronger or more powerful. That is what lowly souls incarcerated by the chains of slavery can neither comprehend nor understand," Vucevic noted.

The colossal battle is etched deeply into the national consciousness, reminding us of the high price of freedom, he said.