"LIVING HEARTH" - SYMBOL OF UNITY, PROTECTION AND FUTURE

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 1 /SRNA/ – On the occasion of Republika Srpska Day, the official visual identity of this year's celebration has been presented, centered around the slogan "Living Hearth", as a vow to preserving identity and building a society of peace, stability, and development, the Ministry of Labor and Veterans’ Affairs announced.

"`Living Hearth` powerfully conveys that Republika Srpska is not a temporary creation nor a passing political category. It represents the collective will to remain rooted, to preserve what has been achieved, and to responsibly pass it on to future generations," the statement said.

The message, it added, is not focused solely on the past or remembrance, but represents a pledge to the future and a confirmation that Republika Srpska has the strength to endure, develop, and responsibly safeguard what has been built, fully aware of its history while looking toward new generations.

"Deeply rooted in the identity of the Serbian people, this slogan carries a message that transcends the present moment. It draws on centuries of historical experience, hardship, survival, and the continuous struggle to preserve one’s home," the statement emphasized.

It stressed that in Serbian tradition, the hearth is far more than a part of a house - it is the heart of the home, a place where families gathered, ancestors were remembered, descendants welcomed, and values passed down through generations.

"Around the hearth, people learned who they were, where they came from, and to whom they belonged. Throughout history, the hearth became a powerful symbol of identity - preserving it meant preserving the people themselves, while its extinguishing often meant displacement, loss, and oblivion," the statement noted.

The Serbian people, it added, have learned through difficult historical periods that without their hearth there is no freedom and no future - preserving it meant preserving the right to exist.

"Today, Republika Srpska represents that shared, modern hearth of the Serb people on this side of the Drina River - a space where identity, language, culture, and faith are preserved, and where everyday life unfolds, children are born, families are formed, and the future is planned," the statement pointed out.

Republika Srpska will mark Republic Day this year with a series of ceremonial events. Central celebrations are scheduled for January 5, 8, 9, and 10, including a ceremonial academy and the traditional festive parade.

Republika Srpska was established on January 9, 1992, in Sarajevo as the Republic of the Serb people in BiH, by a decision of the then Assembly of the Serb People in BiH.

"This was the day when the political will of the Serb people in BiH was expressed to organize themselves into their own republic, in order to preserve freedom, equality, and survival, creating Republika Srpska in response to the historical circumstances and profound political changes of the time, with the aim of ensuring an institutional framework for the protection of collective and individual rights," the statement emphasized.

Since then, it added, Republika Srpska has remained a permanent constitutional category, founded on the Dayton Peace Accords and committed to peace, stability, and development.