A historian Zakhar Shybeka thinks that Belarus missed a wonderful historical opportunity to have a national celebration.

Shybeka: “We missed this opportunity and haven’t apprehended this historical event. This is another failure of ours. We should have celebrated the event as it took place in the territory of our country. We probably have better justifications to celebrate it than Lithuanians. We, Belarusians, are so tactful, modest and considerate that we give away the best to our neighbours. This probably explains our carelessness about our history. It is also linked to the personality of Mindoug. Historians are arguing about his ancestry. It is historians’ fault as well that we do not celebrate this event. However not entirely. It is necessary that the Belarusian authorities interpreted this historical fact appropriately”.  

Zakhar Shybeka in the meantime rose a glass of wine for Mindoug and had a personal celebration of the 755^th Anniversary of the coronation in Novogrudok.

Belarusian writers used a lot of effort to enrich the Belarusian historical identity with the personality of Mindoug. Volha Ipatava, Kastus Tarasau and Uladzimir Arlou were writing about Mindoug.

Arlou: “I do not support the idea that the Grad Duchy of Lithuania was exceptionally a Belarusian state. It was a state of several nations. However old Belarusian culture and language were dominating in that country. One may say that the lifestyle in the GDL was shaped in the Belarusian national forms. Novogrudok was the first capital of our ancestors. One may watch a Belarusian TV news report with a bitter smile. A girl, not heavily loaded with knowledge, actually, as well as the authors of the report, was telling that a celebration to commemorate the coronation of Minoug in Naugardukas was taking place in Vilnius. She could not realize that she was talking about our Novogrudok. I think the time will come when the coronation of Mindoug will be marked in Novogrudok on the date at the same level as in Lithuania. There would be theatric performances and knights’ fights… This would attract tourists. Obviously, this might provoke discontent by our neighbours however I believe they will bear with it”.

A Belarusian historian, Sergey Vitushka, lives in Vilnius and here are some of his observations:

Vitushka: “I know that there were privately organized celebrations of the Mindoug coronation. For instance, in the Krev Castle in Novogrudok, even before Lithuanians, there were celebrations initiated by civic organizations. It could also be a national Belarusian celebration however that is not yet the case, though the historical fact is reflected in the history text-books. The academic science does not yet meet the state attitude. Unlike in Lithuania, where every historical fact is used to the full extent. The cult of Mindoug and the GDL all the time existed in the Soviet Lithuania, while it was the reverse in the Soviet Belarus. Lithuanian feudals captured Belarusian people. In compliance with their concept, Belarusian feudals did not exist on principle. Belarus feels that it can not catch up with the Poles and Lithuanians regarding all their historical monuments and events therefore it tries to catch up and surpass them with its ice arenas”.

It is worth mentioning that in the course of celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of Mindoug as a Day of the Lithuanian State, the Rector of the European Humanities University, Anatoly Mikhailov, was awarded with the Order “For Achievements for Lithuania”. The Lithuanian President, Valdas Adamkus, personally presented the award.