Two events that changed Serbian history: Why is Statehood Day celebrated on Sretenje?

Serbian Statehood Day is celebrated on the great holiday of Sretenje, which has been highly significant for Serbia, and a number of folk beliefs are also associated with this day.

However, historically, two events had a major impact on the development of the Serbian state in the 19th century.

Namely, the First Serbian Uprising took place in Orašac on Sretenje in 1804, when the rebellion against the Ottoman Empire began under the leadership of Vožd Karadjordje.

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The immediate trigger for the Serbian uprising was the Slaughter of the Knezes, when the Ottomans killed a large number of prominent Serbs in Belgrade. After that, Karadjordje led a rebellion against the Turks the likes of which had not been seen before.

The second historically very important event for Serbia also took place on Sretenje, in 1835. On that day in Kragujevac, the first Constitution of the Principality of Serbia was adopted, known as the Sretenje Constitution.

To this day, it is said that it was a very modern constitution for its time, and that some of the countries we now consider among the most developed, such as Russia or the United States, did not have societies and state systems nearly as advanced. In Serbia, there was already extensive discussion about the abolition of slavery and the feudal system.

However, this constitution remained in force for only two weeks. Prince Miloš Obrenović, whose rule was meant to be limited by the constitution, opposed it, which led to difficulties and ultimately prevented it from remaining in effect.

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For the Serbian state, these are important historical events, which is why Statehood Day is celebrated. The holiday in Serbia is observed on February 15 and 16, and these are non-working days.

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According to folk belief, Sretenje is the day when winter and summer meet, and based on the weather on February 15 and whether bears see their shadow, people say we can predict how many more days of winter are ahead.