My dear friends! In my every address to you, I try to cover many important things, share our achievements, and talk about our plans for the future.
But this time, I want to focus on something we all hold dear and can all relate to – family.
New Year’s has usually been a family holiday for Belarusians, a day when relatives from all over the country gather together. They return from work trips, put aside exams, and cancel meetings. All so they can celebrate New Year’s with their loved ones, in the warmth of their family.
The winter holidays are a time for decorating Christmas tree, cooking, picking gifts, and making wishes. Year after year, we set aside arguments and differences to sit together at the New Year’s table.
But now it’s often impossible.
The past four years have been a real challenge for many Belarusians. At first, these hardships brought us closer. But as time went on, staying in touch became more complicated.
Some relentlessly criticize the regime.
Others choose a false sense of safety and avoid talking about politics.
Some boldly speak their native language.
Others teach to be silent to avoid trouble.
Some feel they haven’t done enough
and criticize themselves every day.
Others have had to flee the country, fearing persecution for speaking out.
Loved ones miss each other and hope for the day when hundreds of kilometers no longer separate them. We call our parents every week, send photos of pets to our kids, plan yearly reunions, and ask friends to deliver jars of homemade preserves. But these small gestures of care cannot replace a real family. A family kept apart by the state.
When new problems come at you daily, how do you find the strength to care about others’ troubles?
The anxiety of an expired passport.
Struggling to get a visa to see loved ones.
Paying endless fines to the regime.
Months of job hunting in a new place.
Amid these endless worries, we fear losing our connection to each other and our common language.
30 years of dictatorship have made us doubt and argue with each other.
Fear of being misunderstood keeps us apart. We fear forgetting how to share warmth and care.
Pain and exhaustion make us lonely and withdrawn. It’s easier to live with grievances than to rebuild relationships and support each other.
But it’s so important to seek and find understanding.
There are many of us, and we are different. But in moments of loneliness and fear, we need to remember what unites us.
We share memories: the smell of grandma’s draniki in the morning, the taste of glazed cheese bars and “Kashtan” ice cream, the clatter of train wheels heading to the countryside. We’re connected by trips to Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Kupala Night celebrations,
and mushroom picking in the woods. By mom’s lullabies, the song of Dzed-Baradzed, cranberries in sugar, debates about the best condensed milk, and school trips to Mir Castle.
Our homeland and our character unite us. We share a common home, and it’s called Belarus.
Our family isn’t just people connected by blood. It’s our relatives, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.
This is the true essence of our nation – seeing family in every Belarusian around us. Seeing others’ pain as our own and striving to help each other. Helping neighbors during summer floods. Caring for the children of political prisoners. Supporting those who’ve been released after years in jail. Raising funds for the critically ill. Helping families in exile integrate into new environments. Uniting against injustice and violence.
We all want the same thing – to be together with our loved ones. To live without fear for our freedom. We all want a future without pressure or persecution. A future where children are taught humanity, not prepared for war. A future where we choose and build our lives ourselves.
In our big Belarusian family, as in all others, we have problems and disagreements. To resolve them, we need patience, respect, and understanding. That’s the foundation of a family.
A family is where you are heard. Where you are understood and not judged. Where you’re supported in all endeavors. Where care and love conquer fear.
Our path is thorny and tangled, but like a true family, we will navigate it.
Support each other, no matter the obstacles. And you will never be alone.
We are building our common home as one big family. A home where Belarusians are there for other Belarusians.
My dear ones, Happy New Year!
