Bosnian meat platter *Photo from Wikipedia
March 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992.
Christianity arrived in the 1st century, and by the 4th century the area became part of the Western Roman Empire. Germanic tribes invaded soon after, followed by Slavs in the 6th Century.
In 1136, Béla II of Hungary invaded Bosnia and created the title “Ban of Bosnia” as an honorary title for his son Ladislaus II of Hungary. During this time, Bosnia became virtually autonomous, and was eventually proclaimed a kingdom in 1377.
The Ottoman Empire followed in 1463 and lasted over 400 years. They wrought great changes to the political and administrative system, introduced land reforms, and class and religious distinctions.
A series of uprisings began 1831, which culminated in the Herzegovinian rebellion, a widespread peasant uprising, in 1875. The conflict eventually forced the Ottomans to cede administration of the country to Austria-Hungary through the Treaty of Berlin in 1878.
The establishment of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929 brought the redrawing of administrative regions into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which purposely avoided all historical and ethnic lines, and removed any trace of Bosnian identity. The kingdom of Yugoslavia was conquered by Nazi forces in World War II, and Bosnia was ceded to the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), which led to widespread persecution and genocide.
A declaration of sovereignty on October 15, 1991, was followed by a referendum for independence from Yugoslavia on February 29 and March 1, 1992. The turnout in the independence referendum was 63.4 percent and 99.7 percent of voters voted for independence. Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence on March 3, 1992.
The Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the parliament of the Bosniak-Croat Federation) then made the decision on February 28, 1995, that March 1 be the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a national holiday.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH), and, in short, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeastern Europe located on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west, and south; Serbia to the east; Montenegro to the southeast; and the Adriatic Sea to the south.
*Reference: Wikipedia
