Vajacki marš

Vajacki marš (Cyrillic, Ваяцкі марш, pronounced [vaˈjatski ˈmarʂ], March of the Warriors; also known as My vyjdziem ščylnymi radami (Cyrillic, Мы выйдзем шчыльнымі радамі) "Come, We Shall March in Joint Endeavour") was the National anthem for the short-lived Belarusian Democratic Republic that existed in 1918. Currently the government of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, Rada BNR, exists in exile.

The lyrics of the song were first published in 1919 in Minsk, in the newspaper, Belarus. As the hymn of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, the song was approved in 1920, when the leaders of the republic were already in exile.

During the Soviet occupation of Belarus, the March was banned. However, there were attempts to adapt the lyrics to the communist ideology by replacing mentions of the national Belarusian white-red-white flag with those of the Soviet red banner. Throughout the 20th century, the March was actively used by pro-independence organisations of the Belarusian diaspora.

After the restoration of the independence of Belarus in 1991, there were propositions to make Vajacki marš the state anthem of the Republic of Belarus. In particular, the renowned writers Vasil Bykau, Ales Adamovich and Ryhor Baradulin have issued a public appeal in favour of making Vajacki marš the state anthem of Belarus. Other symbols of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, the Pahonia and the white red white flag, have then been restored as state symbols.

Today, the Vajacki marš enjoys certain popularity among the Belarusian democratic opposition and is traditionally mentioned as one of possible proposed alternatives to the current official anthem.