#Belarus–Poland relations

[jdunlevy]

In late 2022, a report on Belarus’s state-funded media singled out the mural in the Soly church, accusing it of “inciting national and religious hatred.” The report also claimed priests of the church “do not care about saving souls, but about returning western Belarus to Poland.”

The painting had reportedly previously been covered up by Soviet authorities, then was revealed and re-sanctified after the fall of the U.S.S.R.

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

How a person could become an upiór (a vampire) according to Slavic folklore?

I would like to disclaim that the information below was gathered by ethnographers on the territories of present day Poland, Ukraine and Belarus and that there was a lot of regional variation to the folk tales about vampires, therefore beliefs presented below cannot be treated as universally applicable to all regions of aforementioned countries.

An additional disclaimed: upiór is a Polish word, however other closely related names exist in other Slavic languages.

So who could become an upiór after death?

people who were left unburried,

people who were burried improperly, for example without certain ritual objects that were supposed to make the journey across easier, or conversely with objects that make the crossing more diffficult, such as shoes (in such case the upiór has to wander the earth untill they wear the shoes down completely),

people who were physically incomplete at the moment of death (for example they did not have a bag with their cut nails, which they collected all their lives, or they did not hide their lost teeth),

people whose corpse was crossed/jumped over by a man or animal, or over whose corpse a bird flew,

a person who died suddenly, i.e., by suicide, murdered, dying in an unfortunate accident,

unbaptized babies,

women who died in labor,

murderers and other people who harm the community (such as dishonest surveyors, who according to folk beliefs are rejected by earth after death),

a person who, during their lifetime, underwent spells protecting against wounds - their corpse would not decompose after death,

almost certain to become vampires were people who were conceived as a result of breaking of certain societal taboos, for example while their mother was on her period, during the Feast of Saint Anne, during the Feast of Annunciation, during the Feast of the Cross,

similarly almost certain to become a vampire after death were witches (czarownice lub czarownicy),

another category almost certain to become a vampire were people considered to be in some way related to demons or similar to them - for example people born with teeth, people with big teeth, people with large heads, people with various disabilities, people who lived very long and all kinds of outsiders, especially outsiders of an unfriendly religious denomination,

a child could be born as a vampire if their mother swallowed a piece of burning coal or a spark that fell into a pot during Christmas Eve,

a living person could turn into a vampire if the steppe wind blew on their feet.

Of course people could also turn into vampires after death through contact with an upiór during their life, for example

as a result of getting bitten by one,

born from a union between a vampire and a human,

children breastfed by a vampire mother.

To sum it up, it seems that various ideas about the origin of vampires can be reduced to two root causes: 1) omissions or errors in rituals and breaking ritual prohibitions; 2) a different ritual status of a dead person who was already considered a demonic being during their lifetime.

Source: Jeszcze raz o upiorze (wampirze) i strzygoni (strzydze) by Jarosław Kolczyński

[mapsontheweb]

Alcolhol-related causes of death in regions of Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland

[retrowaving1]

Kodeń

Today the people of Poland celebrate Palm Sunday, which means the anticipation for the Easter is growing stronger within Poles, me included. I'm not religious, but being raised in Catholic tradition, I truly enjoy some of its elements, such as feasting on the traditional dishes with your family (and, of course, the preparation of those dishes beforehand^^), but also the historical sights related to Roman-Catholic Christianity.

It has always amazed me how diverse and rich is Polish architecture, especially the castles and churches built in the past. Yesterday, my loved one, knowing so well how much I would enjoy it, took me on a spontaneous trip to one of those places which's historical landmarks manage to combine both<3

Using both the opportunity and my pre-Easter spring mood I shall share some photos of the beautiful Kodeń village with you.

Kodeń [ˈkɔdɛɲ] is a village in eastern Poland on the Bug River, which forms the border between Poland and Belarus. Administratively, it belongs to Biała Podlaska County in Lublin Voivodeship. 

[ the description taken from the Wikipedia ]

Kalwaria Kodeńska | The Kodeń Calvary

Kościół Świętego Ducha | Church of the Holy Ghost

The Gothic castle church, currently a Roman Catholic filial church of St. Anna's parish in Kodeń. The temple, along with the ruins of the Sapieha castle, the former armory, and the stations of the Via Dolorosa processional route, compose the area of the Kodeń Calvary. The church was founded at the same time as the Kodeń castle by the Voivode of Nowogródek, Paweł Sapieha, around 1540. It served as the Sapieha family court chapel until the 19th century.

Bazylika św. Anny w Kodniu | St-Anne's Basilica

The church of the Roman Catholic parish of St. Anna in Kodeń. The church was built between 1629 and 1635 in the late Renaissance style on the site of an earlier wooden church from 1599. The construction was led by the Lublin mason J. Cangerle. In 1657, the church was plundered by the Swedes who removed the lead roof and stole the bells. In 1680, fire destroyed the church and the town, but by 1686, after the completion of its reconstruction and alteration (western tower), the church was consecrated again. The Baroque façade dates back to 1709.

The altar of the Basilica - Matka Boża Kodeńska | Mother of God of Kodeń [ the descriptions of the churches were taken from the Polish Wikipedia and were translated into English by me ]

[aphicelend]

APH x EVILLIOUS

So- I was thinking on a Hetalia AU of Evillious Chronicles (Vocaloid Saga) so, here are some characters >I think< they could fit well. Have to say this is my own interpretation ! I love this saga. I’m not an expert, nor heard the new songs bc idk what the fuck is doing mothy with the saga now. Note: Not all characters would fit their "canon" relationships on this AU, I choose the characters of by their personality thinking on the original character. Also Nyos and their counterparts could be not related nor be the same character of course. 

It’s important to say that the story has a lot of body swaps, reincarnations, so, some characters will not act as they should, some are just “vessels”

Theres some empty roles, i’m starving on female characters, HIMARUYAAA

So, here we go.

Second Period

Levia // Nyo! Poland Behemo// Poland Seth Twiright // Prussia Gumilia Matsumoto//  Nyo! Iceland Michael(a) Arklow// Finland

Lich// Norway Eater// Denmark

Original Sin Story

Levia // Nyo! Poland Behemo// Poland Seth Twiright // Prussia Maria Moonlit //  Ancient Greece Eve Zvezda // Hungary Adam Moonlit // Austria Meta Salmhofer // Nyo! Denmark? Hansel // Ladonia Gretel// Kugelmugel Irina Clockworker // Belarus Elluka Chirclatia // Ukraine Pale / Kiril // Russia Milky Eights// Nyo! America Ly Li//  Vietnam Elluka Clockworker // Ukraine's body (soul of Nyo! Poland and Poland)

Irina Clockworker(ReBirth) // Neko! Belarus

note: Elluka Clockworker is a new character, not the original Elluka, she is Levia/Behemo Vessel. So now, Ukraine’s conscience is just Nyo!Poland and Poland.

Other note: Later, Prussia used Grim the End as a vessel for his soul, becoming himself the wrath demon, later Austria would join into the vessel before going to Marlon Spoon, weird huh

⚔ Venomania | Lust Arc

(Sinner) | Sateriasis/Cherubim// France Gumina Glassred// Nyo! England Mikulia Greeonio// Nyo! Greece Lukana Octo// Taiwan Maylis Beelzenia// Nyo! Romano Mikulia Calgaround//  "Nyo! Greece"

Karchess Crim// Sweden Yufina Marlon// Nyo! Norway

I.R// Random girl (vessel) controlled by Neko!Belarus

>Here Ukraine (Elluka) swaps body with Taiwan 

🍷 Conchita | Gluttony Arc

(Sinner) Banica Conchita// Nyo! Spain Arte(Gretel)// Kugelmugel Pollo(Hansel)// Ladonia Carlos// Romano Platonic// "Seychelles" AB/CIR// random guy controlled by Neko! Belarus

i decided to keep Ladonia and Kugel as Arte and Pollo

🕷 Lucifenia | Pride Arc

holy fuck theres a lot of characters help (Sinner) Riliane Lucifen d'Autriche// Nyo! France Allen Avadonia// Canada (Parenthesis: Ney was supposed to be Kugel, I changed due to Prim Marlon intervention so new character for the Gretel on this Arc) Kyle Marlon// England Ney Phutapie/Marlon (Gretel)// Nyo! Hong Kong Michaela Arklow// Nyo! Finland Clarith// Nyo! Sweden Prim Marlon// ?? Arth Lucifen// ?? Knights Templar?...idk Anne S.// ??? Leonhart Avadonia// Rome Germaine Avadonia// Nyo! Italy Elluka// "Taiwan" Miriam// Nyo! China

Keel Freezis// Australia Yukina Freezis// Wy Mikina Freezis// Nyo! New Zeland

Abyss I.R// random old woman controlled by Neko! Belarus

💤 Elphegort | Sloth Arc

(Sinner) Margarita Felix// “Nyo! Russia”* Kaspar Blankenheim// Netherlands

Note: Due to Clockworkers Doll mechanics, this Nyo! Russia is the Doll (Hungary) possessing herself and pretending to be Nyo! Russia.

Julia Abelard// “Nyo!Italy” (possesed by Neko! Belarus) Mayrana Blossom// Nyo! Romano Lemy Abelard// Sealand Rin// --

Elluka// Taiwan Gumilia/ Eight Snipper// Nyo Iceland

DUEL OF MERRIGOD PLATEAU On this part between Sloth and Envy arc where the characters have a conflict and a New Entity is created through the combination of conscience of these characters. This new conscience is named as "Elluka Ma Clockworker" or just "Ma" Elluka(Levia/Behemo)// Nyo! Poland and Poland Gumilia/ Eight// Nyo! Iceland Irina Clockworker (Julia Abelard)// Belarus Levia// Nyo! Poland Behemo// Poland Lemy// Sealand (Here, Lemy dies, and Behemo abandons Elluka's body and goes to Heavenly Yard) Then the souls merge. Elluka “Ma” Clockworker -> “Taiwan” (Belarus, Nyo!Poland and Hungary souls merged into one)

👹Jakoku | Envy Arc

(Sinner) Kayo Sudou// Nyo!Japan Gakusha// China Ma// “Taiwan”

HERE -> “Taiwan” swaps body with Nyo! Japan 

-Enbizaka events begin- Miroku Family Kai// Hong Kong Mei// Nyo! Macau Miku// – Rin// – idk about these roles, bc they get killed anyways–

Kokutan-douji// Canada 

🥄Marlon | Greed Arc

(Sinner) Gallerian Marlon// Switzerland Michelle Marlon// Liechtenstein Ma// “Nyo! Japan” Bruno// Germany

->Liechtenstein dies drowned, Nyo!Japan gives Swiss the doll containing “Liechstenstein souls” (it wasn’t her, it was Belarus soul)

Clockworkers Doll - Appearance: Liechtenstein \\ Mind: Belarus

Marlon’s Spoon// Austria

EVILS THEATER A small teather located in Millenium Tree Forest, built by Gallerian and Ma, here is the location of some of the Vessels of Sin. Vessels of sin -Venom Sword -Glass of Conchita -Four Mirrors of Lucifenia -Clockworker's Doll -Twin Blades of Levianta -Marlon Spoon -Grim the End In the theater the Vessels gain conscience and a body (some) Clockworker's Doll / "Liechtenstein" (true self: Belarus) Cursed Gardener// Bulgaria Waiter// Monaco Sorceress of Time// Nyo! Japan Gear// Austria Master of Graveyard// Nyo! Spain Arte// Kugelmugel Pollo// Ladonia Eater// Denmark Lich// Norway

💣END OF THE WORLD | Wrath Arc The Greed and Wrath arcs are related

(Sinner) Nemesis Sudou// Czech (soul of: Nyo! Poland) Seth Twiright/Ziz-san/Grim the End/Mask // Prussia Nyoze Octo// Slovakia Gammon Octo// Bulgaria

[mariacallous]

With the health of democracy on the minds of U.S. voters, Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said his country will cooperate with whichever candidate wins the presidential election.

“We want to have the best possible relations with whoever is in charge,” he told NPR’s Steve Inskeep.

The political debates leading up to this year’s U.S. presidential election echo those had in Poland last year. Sikorski said abortion rights, immigration and political corruption were factors for voters when they pushed out the right-wing Law and Justice party last year, ending its near decade-long rule.

Sikorski blames the Law and Justice party for eroding much of the country’s democratic institutions such as the judiciary and local media.

“There was a systematic attempt to capture the state. Public media, Poland's equivalent of NPR, was subjected to strict party controlled, became very biased,” Sikorski said. “They were trying to take over private media as well, milking state companies, subjugating the prosecution service to strict political party control.”

Immigration is also shaping Polish politics, especially by way of Poland’s neighbor Belarus. According to the AP, illegal border crossing increased over the summer from a handful a day to almost 400. Some of Poland’s border guards have also described some violent encounters with migrants, including one guard who was stabbed.

“Russia invites migrants from Africa and Asia, giving them Russian visas, and then moves them to Belarus.” Sikorski said. “Belarussian border guards push them across the border.”

Belarus’ Foreign Ministry shared the following statement from Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov in response to NPR’s request for comment:

“The topic of migration became increasingly politicized. Instead of solving the problems of irregular migration, political games are being played – who will earn how much money for it. We are convinced that all issues must and can be resolved through dialogue.”

Sikorski sat down with Morning Edition to reflect on the state of democracy in Poland, his country’s support for Ukraine, the Polish public’s concerns about immigration and abortion rights.

[quotesfrommyreading]

The East is also where the Nazis had most vigorously pursued the Holocaust, where they set up the vast majority of ghettoes, concentration camps, and killing fields. Snyder notes that Jews accounted for less than 1 percent of the German population when Hitler came to power in 1933, and many of those managed to flee. Hitler's vision of a “Jew-free” Europe could only be realized when the Wehrmacht invaded Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belarus, Ukraine, and the Baltic States, and eventually Hungary and the Balkans which is where most of the Jews of Europe actually lived. Of the 5.4 million Jews who died in the Holocaust, the vast majority were from Eastern Europe. Most of the rest were taken to the region to be murdered. The scorn the Nazis held for all Eastern Europeans was closely related to their decision to take the Jews from all over Europe to the East for execution. There, in a land of subhumans, it was possible to do inhuman things.

  —  Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 (Anne Applebaum)

[artist-kili]

I am a bit of a fan of Jekyll and Hyde (musicals, original book, the concept anything in relation really) (I am not a diehard fan. I find it neat. That describes it best).

I developed an Alternative Universe with placing Hetalia Characters in roles from a musical variation (The one with Anthony Warlow as Jekyll/Hyde) including some additional roles and it goes following:

Romania as Jekyll/Hyde. Late 19th century, is a chemist and licensed doctor, charming man and wants knowledged. The idea of an evil and good soul and what causes someone to descend into insanity aren't cause by personal events, rather he just has a specific interest in these things, so much so he hardly can find passion for other topics. He is very neurodivergent-coded (Intense special interest, irritation over misunderstandings, awkward socially, dislikes change, finding himself to be overwhelmed by sensorially challenging situations)

Ukraine as Lisa Carew, Jekylls fiancé (I love RomUkr). She loves his passion over his research but often has to pull him out of it. She aids him with social events and reassures him.

England as Mr. Stride. I totally antagonized England for this. I want him to be jealous asf of Romania because he wanted to marry Ukraine. He also thinks of Ro as eccentric and dangerous and occasionally more or less purposefully sets him off, never managing to trigger a meltdown. He is in an arranged marriage to China (additional thing I did. i liked the Idea of it).

China is basically just there. I need some fun story for them. (Afab China in this case. Probably non binary but it wont quite show).

Bulgaria starring as Mr. Utterson I believe was his name. Mr Lawyer and friend of Jekyll. He kinda watches the story unfold and finds out the truth at the end (not sure which ending to use.)

Russia and Belarus exist as well as Romanias siblings in law but dont have a big roll.

I don't think the victims will be other Hetalia characters. This all is more or less a human AU.

Perhaps I include a Lucy in the form of Nyo Prussia or Nyo Poland but I dont really see a point for a Lucy. Perhaps a different function.

Also this is where my idea stems from that Romania actually was a chemist/scientist in like the 1800s/1900s. I like it. Also that he would teach Germany science stuff since Prussia likes his personality (minus that weird omnious feeling)

[mhgrf]

Our country's regional visa-free policy for foreigners mainly includes:

Hong Kong and Macao foreign tour groups to enter Guangdong 144-hour visa-free policy. Citizens of countries with diplomatic ties with China holding ordinary passports may visit the nine cities in the Greater Bay area and the Shantou Bay Area without the need for a visa after entering the region through a group of Hong Kong and macao-registered travel agents, activities will be held in the cities of Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Shantou, group in and out, stay less than 144 hours.

Visa-free entry policy for tour groups from ASEAN countries to Guilin, Guangxi. Group tours (2 or more) from ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia) , with an ordinary passport, you can enter or leave the country visa-free through the Guilin Airport and travel agencies in Guilin, stay no longer than 144 hours.

Visa-free entry policy for foreign tour groups by cruise. Foreign tour groups (2 or more persons) on cruises and received by travel agencies in China, visa-free group visits are available from 13 cruise ports in Tianjin, Dalian, Shanghai, Lianyungang, Wenzhou and Zhoushan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Beihai, Haikou and Sanya, the tour group shall travel with the same cruise to the next port until the departure of this cruise, activities for Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other 11 coastal provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) and Beijing, stay no longer than 15 days.

4th, 59 countries personnel entry Hainan 30 days visa-free policy. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Ukraine, Italy, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Monaco, Belarus and 59 other countries hold ordinary passports, for short-term reasons such as tourism, business, visit, family visit, medical treatment, convention and exhibition, sports competition, etc. (except for work and study reasons) , visa-free entry to Hainan may be granted, the scope of activities shall be within the administrative area of Hainan province, and the entry and exit ports shall be all open ports of Hainan province, and the stay time shall not exceed 30 days.

Visa-free 144-hour entry policy for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong and Macao. Citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with China who hold ordinary passports and visit Hong Kong and Macao may visit Hainan visa-free if they are in a group of two or more members of a travel agency legally registered in Hong Kong and Macao, activities for the administrative area of Hainan province, the entry and exit ports for all open ports in Hainan province, the use of group entry and exit mode, stay less than 144 hours.

[wszczebrzyszynie]

i really dislike when people ask me about things using slavic as a general term. slavic cultures and history is such a vast subject that im very much not knowledgable about, and acting like i do because i draw folk costumes from two slavic countries (not including belarus and czech republic because i havent done that in a while and i dont know them that well; im talking poland and ukraine) is a bit weird to me. please keep in mind that any in more depth knowledge i have will always be poland related and whenever you ask me about something slavic i will just answer it as polish

[sataniccapitalist]

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/poland-must-prepare-army-full-scale-conflict-army-chief-says-2024-07-10/

Poland must prepare army for full-scale conflict, army chief says

“Poland’s relations with Russia and its ally Belarus have deteriorated sharply since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into neighbouring Ukraine.”

[zvaigzdelasas]

[LRT is Lithuanian State Media]

When Radosław Sikorski last served as Polish Foreign Minister, the relations between Vilnius and Warsaw were marked with animosity, demands, and apologies. He is now returning to the post in the newly formed government of Donald Tusk. What does this mean for Polish-Lithuanian relations? [...]

In 2008, Sikorski compared the situation of Poles in Lithuania to that of the Polish minority in Belarus, where Lukashenko persecuted and imprisoned activists of the Polish Union. This caused an uproar in Lithuania, and it was suggested that Sikorski may have been offended by Lithuania’s failure to support his nomination as NATO Secretary General.[...]

But one of the most unpleasant episodes took place during the visit of Polish President Lech Kaczyński to Vilnius in 2010 when the Seimas rejected the government’s proposal to allow Polish surnames to be written in the original language. Sikorski and other Polish leaders accused Lithuania of failing to address the issues of the country’s Polish minority and limiting education in Polish schools. They complained about infrastructure projects, the treatment of Orlen investors at the Mažeikiai oil refinery, the ban on displaying signs with Polish street names, as well as the alleged disruption of the return of land to people of Polish descent.

At one point, Sikorski even said that Poland was considering economic sanctions against Lithuania, and Polish leaders threatened to “not set foot in Lithuania until the Polish issues in Lithuania are resolved”. The disputes were also noticed abroad. In 2012, The Economist wrote that the Polish-Lithuanian ties are “bafflingly bad and getting dangerously worse”. Both countries reportedly felt that the other side should apologise and make concessions, which was also worrying for the US, NATO, and the EU.[...]

Sikorski is a graduate of Oxford University, and his spouse is the world-renowned historian Anne Applebaum. Earlier, Sikorski worked as a reporter for British publications covering the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and later the conflict in Angola.[...]

Under PiS, Poland had close relations with Vilnius, while the Russian threat and the invasion of Ukraine made it necessary to put grievances aside.

19 Dec 23

[hopelessromqntic]

Intro Post

hello there, you can call me honey! i'm currently at a point where i don't wanna start working on my big creative projects but wanna keep myself busy still. so i bring to everyone, this blog! i'm taking requests for countryhumans x reader.

rules;

WILL do:

( historical countries and organisations

( headcanons

( gn!readers

( fluff, comfort, scenarios, ect.

( both platonic, familial, and romantic hcs!

( both fem! and masc! versions of countries, preferably specified

( potentially politically problematic/current things (but i'll decide if im comfy doing every request while sorting through

( provocative things/implied smut

( any kind of reader attribute-wise

( 1-4 characters max

WON'T DO:

( actual smut

( assigning the reader non-gender neutral pronouns

( heavy angst

( anything death-related

( fics, for now

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list of requestible characters (will grow over time): Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, (Imperial) Japan, Kazakhstan, NATO, North Korea, South Korea, Phillipines, Poland, Romania, Russia, (1st/2nd/3rd) Reich, Turkey, UN, United Kingdom, United States, Ukraine, USSR, Vietnam

(please specify what period/era they should be in if you are requesting a modern country!)

------------------

-------------------

tags for this blog!

#honey speaks 🌸 - unrelated/non-writing things

-

REQUESTS: OPEN!

[evilelitest2]

What is Ukraine Anyways?

Ok so lets start, what is Ukraine?  Ukraine is a nation in Eastern Europe, just south of Belarus, just East of Poland, just north of Romania and Moldova, and just West of Russia.  I know what you're thinking “Belarus, what's that '' so ok, maybe US geography could use a bit of work.  Before the war Ukraine had a population of 44 million people, and was either the largest or second largest nation in Europe depending on how you count Russia.  And I think that is worth focusing on. Ukraine is massive, about the size of Texas, and yet it's forgotten because it's next to Russia, the largest nation in the world. 

Ukraine is sometimes called “The Ukraine '' but that's controversial for reasons we will talk about later. So there are three main things that you need to know about Ukrainian history

First, Ukraine is famous for its fertile soil, the “Black Earth”, and is one of the major agricultural powers in the world, certainly it is the supreme agricultural powerhouse of Eastern Europe.  This also makes it extremely valuable to other nations who might want to colonize it.

Second, Ukraine doesn’t have much in the way of Natural Borders.  A Natural Border is a landscape feature which provides a convenient barrier between nations. A mountain range, a river, an ocean, or a desert are all good natural borders because it means that anybody who wants to invade you needs to really commit.  While part of Ukraine is on the Black Sea and you have the Carpathian mountains in the west, the rest of it is…really not, it's mostly a mix of farmland and steppe. 

Thirdly, this combination of fertile land and lack of natural defenses means that Ukraine has a long history of being invaded from almost every side, and one of the tricky legacies of this is figuring out where Ukraine stops and another country begins because The Commonwealth, Prussia, the Golden Hoard, Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottomans, and most infamously Russia have all had their shot at seizing Ukrainian territory. This is made worse because Ukraine is sort of in the middle of a bunch of other states, it connects between a bunch of territory.  This is actually where the term “Ukraine” comes from, it means “borderland” 

 As a result of said fertility and constant invasion, Ukraine is an extremely ethnically diverse region, both in terms of Religion and Ethnicity.  You have Ukranians, Russians, Tatars, Bulgarians, Jews, Hungarians, Romani and Pols living within the borders, with a lot of mixing between these groups.  

So one final thing I want to talk about is Slavs, because I am going to be using that term a lot and it is good for non-Europeans to know what that means.  Slavs is an ethnic/linguistic group that combines a wide variety of different ethnic groups, mostly linked through linguistic origin.  A lot of ethno-nationalists will claim that there is some sort of magical bond all Slavs have towards each other by blood, but it’s mostly language connections, like how French and Italian are different languages but are clearly related.  Slavic people’s include Czechs, Slavokians, Pols, Belarusians, Bulgarians, “Yugoslavians' ' (I am not going to get into the ethnic politics of the Balkans here, dear god no), Ukranians and ethnic Russians.   Many slavic languages (but not all) use the Cyrillic script, which comes from the Byzantine Empire (We will come back to them later don’t worry), including both Ukrainian and Russian.  What matters for us is that the Ukrainian and Russian languages are very closely related and are somewhat understandable to each other, there is even a dialect, Surzhyk, which mixes the two even further.  A good comparison is like Spanish vs. Portuguese, different languages but very close.  Why this matters is that many Russian nationalists claim that Ukranian isn’t actually a language, it's just a dialect of Russian.  I’m not a linguist, but everything I’ve read indicates it is its own language, it has a few unique letters and UKraine has this weird case with words going on.  The biggest evidence towards me though are Rusisans friends of mine who have told me that when they visit Ukraine they often have a very hard time understanding what is going on.  Also worth noting, most Ukranians speak Russian, about a third of them speak Russian as their first language, mostly in the east.  We will get on that later

FInally, let's take a moment to talk about religion.  Most Russians and Ukrainian are Orthodox Christians, aka “The Christianity people in the West forgets exists”.   Short version is that before the Catholic Protestant Split in the 16th century, the previous sexy christian Split was in the 11th century between the Orthodox East and the Catholic West.  Unlike the Reformation, this was less a doctrinal dispute and more of an organizational one, the Orthodox reject the Pope’s authority for the Byzantine Emperor, Catholics use latin as the liturgical language while the Orthodox used Greek, the Orthodox is a far more decentralized faith, they each have opposite signs of the cross, little things ike that.  There have been…a lot of wars between these two groups and a lot of bad blood left over from said wars, such as the Fourth Crusade which sacked Constantinople or the Teutonic Knights (we will get to them more later. 

Important for future events is the fate of the Byzantine Empire.  Basically, when the Western Roman Empire Fell, the Eastern Empire continued on going until 1453, when it was finally destroyed by the Ottoman Empire.  The Emperor was the head of the Orthodox church, so when the Empire fell, so too did the unity of the Orthodox church.  Imagine if the Pope was killed, Rome was destroyed and no new pope was declared.  So there isn’t one Orthodox CHurch, its several different Orthodox churches for each region.  

[coralcatsea]

How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX?

I feel Hetalia needs some kind of really nice, wholesome ending with the nations all doing something fun and silly with each other. They have many differences, but they can relate to and understand each other in ways no human can, which allows them to come together and feel a sense of belonging. They can't fix the world; it'll never be perfect, but there is hope for the future.

They could play games, sing songs, and reminisce on some Hetalia scenes from the past, like:

America: Remember when we sat around a campfire on that island? England kept chanting like he was trying to summon the devil!

England: That reminds me of when you prank called me and pretended to BE the devil!

Belarus: Sometimes I like to prank call Poland and just breathe into the phone.

Poland: That was you?!

China: On the topic of pranks, how about that crazy April Fools' Day where we all got blackmailed?

France: Hey, remember when I tried to trick you by pretending a marriage registration form was a calendar?

England: I don't know how you ever thought I would believe that!

Spain: Oh, when I tried proposing to Romano he gave me all these conditions!

Romano: There weren't that many!

England: Oh, I recall when America got upset because I didn't give him chocolates for Valentine's Day.

Italy: Haha! You proposed to him? Germany gave me a ring once on Valentine's Day! It turned out to be this whole big misunderstanding!

America: You're always giving me ice cream and chocolate bars and things! I just figured you would give me some then, too!

England: Well, I brought them later and you tried to play it off like it never happened!

America: Haha, did I do that?

Prussia: Oh, speaking of England giving out food, remember when I posted on my blog about how he made me food and everyone thought I died?? Not cool, guys! As if I would be defeated by that!

Germany: We were just concerned.

Prussia: Some of you got REALLY concerned! That was interesting!

Austria: Well, there's no need to be foolish!

Hungary: Yes, you may be a handful, but you have your good points! For one, there was that time you gave me a piece of fabric from your clothes to help me cover up...

Italy: He helped clean my house!

Romano: That idiot cheered me up once when I couldn't get a role in a movie.

America: I like to make movies! You can get a role in mine if you want! Maybe we can make it about...the Pictonian invasion!!

Prussia: Oh! What about a movie inspired by that fantasy game we all played together?

Estonia: Maybe it could be based on this dream I had where you all became women! It was really weird!

Japan: What–?

Russia: I think it would be nice to make a movie about some of the pleasant memories we've been discussing.

Spain: We should include the time I had turtles crawling all over the place!

Canada: Sometimes Cuba and I have ice cream together. That's a nice memory.

Japan: Learning English with England-san and German with Prussia-san.

England: There was that one time Germany and I stopped fighting on Christmas to play football...

Japan: Rooming with America.

Lithuania: Oh, yes, I liked staying with him, too.

Romano: I guess it was all right.

Belarus: ...I didn't like it much. But some parts were okay.

Russia: Don't worry, we can definitely skip all that!

America: How about that time Russia sent cardboard cutouts to everyone? That was hilarious!

Japan: Hmm...when we learned about America's Furbies?

Italy: When I wrote a song for Germany! That's a good memory!

Germany: ...When I first found you hiding in that tomato box.

It ends with them singing a new song, and then finally, Marukaite Chikyuu. Italy then says, "The series may be over, but history never ends!"

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.1

Holidays

American Chess Day

Arbor Day (Peru)

Arts Day (Bardo)

Asbestos Awareness Day (UK)

Back to Hogwarts Day

Bahti Meskerem (Eritrea)

Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day

Carrington Event Day

Chicken Boy Day

Childhood Cancer Awareness Day (Tennessee)

Constitution Day (Slovakia)

Creation Day (According to Julius Africanus; 5,508 yrs, 3 months, 25 days BC)

Daffodil Day (New Zealand)

Day of Belarusian Written Language (Belarus)

Day of Knowledge (Estonia, Russia)

Disaster Prevention Day (Japan)

Draft Horse Day

Emma M. Nutt Day (a.k.a. Nutt Day)

Entrepreneur’s Day (Ukraine)

Euphrosyne Asteroid Day

Flag Day (Honduras)

Footy Colors Day (Australia)

Ginger Cat Appreciation Day

Global Talent Acquisition Day [1st Wednesday]

Human Resources Professional Day (South Dakota)

International Day of Awareness of the Dolphins of Taiji

International Naalbinding Day

International Neil Diamond Day

International Primate Day

International Trade Union Action Day for Peace

International Women in Cyber Day

Journalist Day (Taiwan)

Juno Steroid Day

Kama Sutra Day

Kanto Earthquake Memorial Day (Japan)

Knowledge Day (Armenia, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine)

Lake Baikal Day (Russia)

Letter Appreciation Day

Lose Your Virginity Day

Mary Had a Little Lamb Day

Meteorological Autumn begins (Northern Hemisphere)

Meteorological Spring begins (Southern Hemisphere)

National Acne Positivity Day

National Boykin Spaniel Day

National Child Identity Theft Awareness Day

National Disaster Prevention Day (Japan)

National Forgiveness Day

National Homecare Day of Action

National Hotel Employee Day

National Little Black Dress Day

National Marmoset Day

National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day

National Police K-9 Day

901 Day (Tennessee)

No Music Day (Nigeria)

Onam (Hindu harvest festival; India)

Partridge Day (UK)

Pink Cadillac Day

Presidential Message Day (Mexico)

Random Acts of Kindness Day (NZ)

Respect the Drive Day

Rites of Moawita (Elder Scrolls)

Save Japan’s Dolphins Day

Sing A Silly Song In Bed Day

Teacher’s Day (Singapore)

Tourist Day

Toy Tips Executive Toy Test Day

Trade Union Action for Peace Day (Tajikistan)

Trout Day (French Republic)

Veteran’s Day (Poland)

Wattle Day (Australia)

White Rabbit Day

World CLL Day

World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation

World Day of the Fingerprint

World Emotional Trauma Awareness Day

World Freestyle Football Day

World Letter Writing Day

World PCOS Day of Unity

World War Two Anniversary Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Cherry Popover Day

Chop Suey Day

International Cap Classique Day (South Africa)

National Burnt Ends Day

National Gyro Day

National Oatloaf Day

National Tofu Day (UK)

Oyster Season begins

Rosolio Day (Italy)

Independence & Related Days

Alberta Province Day (Canada; 1905)

Baguio City Day (Philippines)

Baltia (Declared; 2014) [unrecognized]

Chrisland (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Communist North China People’s Republic (Founded; 1948)

Gymnasium State (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Jasaan Day (Philippines)

Qatar (from UK; 1971)

Revolution Day (Libya; 1969)

Saskatchewan Province Day (Canada; 1905)

Slovak Constitution Day (Slovakia)

Uzbekistan (a.k.a. Mustaqillik Kuni); from USSR, 1991)

New Year’s Days

New Year’s Day (Greek or Byzantine (Constantinople) Indication)

1st Sunday in September

Bowling League Day (a.k.a. U.S. Bowling League Day) [1st Sunday]

European Day of Jewish Culture [1st Sunday]

Father's Day (Australia, New Zealand) [1st Sunday]

Harvest Wine Celebration (Livermore, California) [1st Sunday]

Joust of the Saracen (Italy) [1st Sunday]

Mushroom Day (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) [1st Sunday]

National Commemoration Day (South Africa) [1st Sunday]

National Pastor’s Spouses Day [1st Sunday]

National Prayer Day for the Deaf (South Africa) [1st Sunday]

Pet Rock Day [1st Sunday]

Pffiferdaj (Day of the Strolling Fiddlers, or Fiddlers' Festival; Alsace, France) [1st Sunday]

Running of the Sheep (Montana) [Sunday of Labor Day Weekend]

Seven For Sunday [Every Sunday]

Snack Sunday [1st Sunday of Each Month]

Spiritual Sunday [1st Sunday of Each Month]

Start Over Sunday [1st Sunday of Each Month]

Sundae Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sunday Funday [Every Sunday]

Tales and Tallows (Elder Scrolls)

Wakes Sunday [Sunday after September 4]

Working Mother's Day [1st Sunday]

World Goddess Day [1st Sunday]

World Koesister Day [1st Sunday]

World Meditation Day [1st Sunday of Every Month]

Weekly Holidays beginning September 1 (1st Full Week of September)

International Enthusiasm Week (thru 9.7)

Legacy Week (Australia)

National Childhood Injury Prevention Week (thru 9.7)

National Nutrition Week (thru 9.7)

National Payroll Week (thru 9.7). [Week of Labor Day]

National Waffle Week (thru 9.7) [1st Week]

Self-University Week (thru 9.7)

Sobriety Checkpoint Week (thru 9.7) [1st Full Week]

Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week (thru 9.7) [1st Full Week]

Festivals Beginning September 1, 2024

Alaskan Grown Cheesecake Contest (Palmer, Alaska)

Atlanta Caribbean Jerk Festival (Lithonia, Georgia)

Bloemencorso Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde (Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde, Belgium)

Bloemencorso Zundert (Zundert, Netherlands) [thru 9.2]

California Wine Month (Statewide, California) [thru 9.30]

Flavor Palm Beach (Palm Beach, Florida) [thru 9.30]

Sydney Fringe Festival (Sydney, Australia) [thru 9.30]

Feast Days

Constantius (Costanzo) of Aquino (Christian; Saint)

Dalton (Positivist; Saint)

David Pendleton Oakerhater (Anglican Communion)

Drittel of Northumbria (Christian; Saint)

Ecclesiastical New Year (Orthodox Christian)

Edgar Rice Burroughs (Writerism)

Feast of Adjutor (Christian)

Feast of Macuilxochitl (5 Flower God; Mexico)

Festival of the Grapevines I: Ariadne (Pagan)

Felix, Donatus, Arontius, Honoratus, Fortunatus, Sabinianus, Septimus, Januarius, Vitalis, Satyrus, abd Repostius, 12 brothers (Christian; Martyrs)

Festival of Juno Regina and Jupiter Liber (Ancient Rome)

Fiacre (France, Ireland; Christian; Saint) [also 8.30]

Firminus II (Christian; Saint)

Gene Colan (Artology)

Gideon the Judge (Christian; Saint)

Giles (Christian; Saint)

Hilda Rix Nicholas (Artology)

Hobbit Remembrance Day (Pastafarian)

Jhonen Vasquez (Artology)

Loup (a.k.a. Lupus or Lew) of Sens (Christian; Saint)

Ludwig Merwart (Artology)

Nativity of Zoroaster (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Nivard (a.k.a. Nivo; Christian; Saint)

Per Kirkeby (Artology)

Ramalamadingdong begins (Church of the SubGenius)

Sain (Celtic Book of Days)

Simeon Stylite (Eastern Orthodox)

Sixtus of Reims (Christian; Saint)

Sneeze-Wobbling Festival (Shamanism)

Soshana Afroyim (Artology)

Sweet Tater Festival (Cullman, Alabama) [thru 9.2]

Taddeo Zuccari (Artology)

Terentian (a.k.a. Terrence; Christian; Saint)

Timothy Zahn (Writerism)

The Twelve Brothers (Christian; Martyrs)

Uncle Ermisimo (Muppetism)

Verena (Christian; Saint)

Vibiana (Christian; Saint)

Yasuo Kuniyoshi (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Historically Bad Day (Germany invaded Poland, earthquakes in Iran & Japan & 8 other tragedies) [7of 11]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Premieres

The Abominable Mountaineers, featuring Sad Cat (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1968)

Address Unknown, by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor (Novel; 1938)

The Aleph, by Jorge Luis Borges (Short Story; 1945)

Arsenic and Old Lace (Film; 1943)

The Autograph Hound (Disney Cartoon; 1939)

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (Film; 1947)

Balloon Snatcher, featuring Astronut (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1969)

The Big Clean-Up (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

Bye, Bye, Blackboard (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1972)

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins (Novel; 2009) [#2]

Cat Happy (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1950)

The Cat’s Revenge (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1954)

The Charm Bracelet (Phantasies Cartoon; 1939)

Chocolates for Breakfast, by Pamela Moore (Novel; 1956)

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, by Thomas De Quincey (Autobiography; 1821)

The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen (Novel; 2001)

The Covered Pushcart (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1949)

Crank (Film; 2006)

Dames (Film; 1934)

The Discontented Canary (Happy Harmonies Cartoon; 1934)

Disguise the Limit (Modern Madcaps Cartoon; 1960)

Dr. Feelgood, by Mötley Crüe (Album; 1989)

Dug Days (Animated TV Series; 2021)

The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje (Novel; 1992)

Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton (Novel; 1911)

A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway (Novel; 1929)

A Farewell to Kings, by Rush (Album; 1977)

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, by Dr. Seuss (Children’s Books; 1938)

Fine Feathered Friend (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1960)

The First Telephone (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

Foxed by a Fox (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

Git That Guitar (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1964)

The Good Scout, featuring Willie Whopper (Ub Iwerks Cartoon; 1934)

Gramps to the Rescue (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1963)

Happy Valley (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1952)

Harry Happy (Modern Madcaps Cartoon; 1963)

Hats Off to Hector (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

Haydn String Quartets, Opus 10, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Quartets; 1785)

High Flyer (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

Hobo’s Holiday (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1963)

Hold the Fort! (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

Honorable Paint in the Neck, featuring Hashimoto (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1962)

Hook, Lion and Sinker (Disney Cartoon; 1950)

Honey’s Money (WB MM Cartoon; 1962)

Idiocracy (Film; 2006)

Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1599)

Lady and His Lamp (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1964)

Little Problems (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1951)

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (Novel; 1955)

Love’s Labor Won (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1948)

The Mass Psychology of Fascism, by Wilhelm Reich (Political Book; 1933)

Messy Messenger (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

Middlemarch, by George Eliot (Novel; 1871)

The Mighty Hercules (Animated TV Series; 1963)

Mouse Menace (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1953)

The Mysterious Cowboy (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1952)

The Old Man and the Sea (Short Story; 1952)

Old Mother Clobber (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1958)

Outer Galaxy Gazette, featuring Astronaut (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1964)

Outside Providence (Film; 1999)

Peculiar Penguins (Silly Symphonies Disney Cartoon; 1934)

Pitchin’ Woo at the Zoo (Fleischer/Famous Popeye Cartoon; 1944)

The Plastics Inventor (Disney Cartoon; 1944)

Prehistoric Super Salesman (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1969)

Private Eyes, by Hall & Oates (Album; 1981)

The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran (Poems; 1923)

The Proton Pulsator, featuring Astronut (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1970)

The Rain Drain, featuring James Hound (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1966)

Really Big Act, featuring Sidney (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1961)

Rear Window (Film; 1954)

Robot Rival (Modern Madcaps Cartoon; 1964)

A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf (Novel; 1929)

Search for a Symbol (Hector Heathcote Cartoon; 1963)

The Slap-Happy Mouse (WB MM Cartoon; 1956)

Solitary Refinement (Modern Madcaps Cartoon; 1965)

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, by John le Carré (Novel; 1963)

Square Shooting’ Square (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1955)

Steeple Jacks (Heckle & Jeckle Cartoon; 1951)

The Stepford Wives, by Ira Levin (Novel; 1972)

Swordfishtrombones, by Tom Waits (Album; 1983)

TikTok (Social Media App; 2016)

Trois Morceaux en Forme de Poire (Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear), Erik Satie (Suite for Piano Four Hands; 1903)

Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller (Novel; 1934)

The Two Barbers (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1944)

The Two Ton Baby Sitter, featuring Sidney (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1960)

What a Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong (Song; 1967)

When Worlds Collide, by Philip Wylie (Novel; 1932)

Which is Witch, featuring James Hound (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1967)

Wild Life (Heckle & Jeckle Cartoon; 1959)

The Women (Film; 1939)

Worth Dying For, 15th Jack Reacher book, by Lee Child (Novel; 2010)

You Can’t Take It with You (Film; 1938)

Today’s Name Days

Ägidius, Ruth, Verena (Austria)

Damyan, Damyana, Kozma, Kuzman, Simeon, Simona (Bulgaria)

Aron, Egidije, Estera, Jošua, Oliver, Predrag, Šimun, Tamara, Viktor (Croatia)

Jaroslava, Linda, Samuel (Czech Republic)

Ægidius, Theobaldus (Denmark)

Eha, Ehala, Hämarik, Ülar, Ülari, Ülev, Üllar, Üllart, Üllas, Üllo, Ülo (Estonia)

Aaro, Aaron, Pirkka (Finland)

Aaron, Esther, Giles, Goulwen, Jossué, Thierry (France)

Ägidius, Ruth, Verena (Germany)

Anargyros, Argyris, Antigone, Antigoni, Athena, Athina, Damianos, Kosmas, Margarita, Polynike, Polyniki, Symeon (Greece)

Annamária, Egon, Egyed, Tihamér (Hungary)

Caio, Cono, Costanzo, Egidio (Italy)

Austrums, Ilmārs, Iluta, Irisa, Imants, Ingars, Intars, Teobalds, Verena (Latvia)

Burvilė, Egidijus, Gytautas, Gytis, Julijus, Liepa, Tautrimas, Tautrimė (Lithuania)

Ask, Embla, Solveig, Solvor (Norway)

Aaron, Bogusław, Bronisław, Bronisława, Bronisz, Halina, Idzi, Klarysa, Marian, Niegosława, Teobald (Poland)

Dionisie (Romania)

Diana, Drahoslava (Slovakia)

Aarón, Arturo, Ester, Esther, Gil, Josué, Leonor, Oliverio, Simeón, Sixto (Spain)

Aron, Mirjam, Sam, Samuel (Sweden)

Debbie, Deborah, Debra, Edgar, Edgardo, Giles, Josh, Joshua, Josue, Ruth (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 245 of 2024; 121 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of Week 35 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 2 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 29 (Wu-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 28 Av 5784

Islamic: 26 Safar 1446

J Cal: 5 Gold; Fryday [5 of 30]

Julian: 19 August 2024

Moon: 2%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 21 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Watt]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 10 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 74 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 11 of 32)

Calendar Changes

September (Gregorian Calendar) [Month 9 of 12]