
local conditions and customs

Belarus
Belarusians are a branch of the East Slavic people. The term Belarus ("White Rose") first appeared in the annals of 1135. In 862 AD, Polotsk Castle was built on Belarusian land. In the 9th to 12th centuries, the Duchy of Polotsk was formed centered around the castle. In the first half of the 13th century, Belarusian characters were formed. In the mid-13th century to the end of the 18th century, it successively belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish Lithuanian Federation. Incorporation into the Russian Empire from the 18th century onwards. In the later stages of World War I, on March 25, 1918, independence was declared in accordance with the Brest Litovsk Treaty and the People's Republic of Belarus was established. The Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was established in 1919 and merged into the Soviet Union in 1922, becoming one of the Soviet republics. Independence was restored on August 25, 1991. Currently a member state of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
