We all know the special history, the symbolism and the legend that the very word “Vidovdan”
means to Serbs. We cannot even say “Vidovdan” without stopping to think about its cascade
of meaning.
For those of us who are born or living abroad, on Vidovdan we all remember our roots. It is a
focal point of our identity as people tied together by our ancestors, their actions and their
values. While we remember Tsar Lazar and the loss on Kosovo Ravno, we are also proud of
the outcome.
In the early summer of 1389, our ancestors went bravely forth from their castles and
fortresses, their wooden huts and farms to face a vast and powerful enemy. They knew fullwell
that they might not return. But they went in defense of their homes, their families, their
pleme and their Holy Orthodox Christian faith. This would be the second major and awful
encounter between Serbs and the Ottomans after the Battle of Marica in 1371. The short time
between these battles was not even adequate to raise a new generation of warriors to bolster
the losses sustained in 1371. Nonetheless, when faced with a choice of submitting to tyranny
or fighting for freedom, our ancestors chose the latter. They chose to do what is right and
honorable regardless of the cost.
More than six hundred years later, we gather to remember and honor the actions of all of our
ancestors - from the Battle of Kosovo to the 1804 uprising, from two Balkan wars to two
world wars, from their fights against tyranny to their struggle to survive today in Kosovo and
Metohija. We thank them for their deeds of chivalry and valor. We thank them for their
willingness to fight and die for what is right. We thank them for setting an example for us to
follow every day of our lives. We thank them for showing by their deeds what it means to be
a Serb - not so much a matter of genetics but, rather, a matter of moral values and conscious
choice, the choice of the Kosovski zavet.
The battle of Kosovo in 1389 and today is both internal and external. Each of us has a daily
struggle to do what is right, to live true to the values of our shared culture and our faith.
There is also the external battle. Today our people in Kosovo and Metohija face daily
terrorism and occupation. Today we openly stand with them and work towards justice and
fairness for all. While we may lose in the short-run, in the long-run doing what is right is
always a victory. In this we are no different from our ancestors.
Jasmina Theodore Boulanger
President
Serbian Unity Congress
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If the ashes of Jasenovac could speak would that those who had seen their executioners could rise up to level their finger of accusation to the Roman Curia within Vatican walls to say alas the womb of destruction lies in her dogmas and canon laws, the Papacy and her cohorts the disaster of the souls of men, certainly the Serbs and Jews are not alone, we do understand the schism. The battle for the right to exist, the God given right to live our faith of conscience apart from Romanism, alas let us breath once again…
Comment by Michae — July 17, 2007 #