Ritual Calendar of Belarus

Belarus is a country with an ancient and unique culture. The Belarusian traditions closely intertwined ancient pagan rites and Christian customs. So, most of the holidays and rituals originate from the agricultural calendar: Zazhinki, Zhytsen, Dozhinki, etc. This is due to the fact that agriculture was one of the most important lessons not only of the ancient Slavs, but also of other nations. Life and well-being of people depended on how fruitful the year would be.

At present, the Belarusian farmsteads and ethno-complex safekeep and revive the national ritual culture. Visiting the celebration of Maslenitsa in farmsteads «Na Zarechnoy Ulitse» or in History Park «Sula», you can become a participant of merry folk festivals, to show their agility to climb Maslenitsa pole, to enjoy delicious pancakes, as well as the dance from the heart. The culmination of the celebrations will be burning effigy of winter.

Traditionally, Kupalie is celebrated on the day of the summer solstice - June 24. In Dudutki Museum and Alexandriya town, large-scale celebrations are organized. Guests of the holiday have an opportunity to learn their fate, with help of ancient fortunetellings: the girls in the Kupala night weave wreaths and put them through water. It is believed that if an unmarried boy finds the wreath, the girl will get married. Also, during the holiday you can jump over the fire. The most mysterious Kupalie ritual is the search for the mysterious flower of the fern. Kupalie is celebrated not only in museum complexes and farmsteads, but also in city parks. As a rule, citywide and regional events take place on July 6-7. In Minsk, the celebration takes place in Lositsky Park, where guests are entertained by entertainers and musical ethno-groups.

The most important winter ritual holiday in Belarus is Kolyady (Christmas carols). The ancient pagan festival was eventually timed to coincide with the celebration of Christmas, but from this it did not lose its vivid pagan traditions. Funny and large scale Kolyady always pass in the museum complex of Strochicy and Dukorа estate. Visiting the celebration in these complexes, you will see a real Christmas procession - Goat, Grandfather, Gypsy and Bear. They are the main characters of the Christmas carol ritual. If you will get hungry, then you can taste this Christmas carol in the Old Belorussian tavern on the territory of the museum in Strochitsy.

Belarusian tour operator «Automated Tourism Technologies» invites you to visit Belarusian ceremonial events during a group excursion or in an individual program. Visiting these celebrations will be interesting not only by itself, but as part of a corporate event, the Farewell Bell, or children's holiday.

You can visit any ceremonial event in farmstead «Na Zarechnoy Ulitse» , farmstead «Ganka», homestead «Mir Pchyol», agro-tourist complex «Nanosy-Novoselie», History Park «Sula», Museum Complex «Dudutki», Museum Complex «Strochitsy», Loshitsa park, Dukorа estate and eco-tourism center «Stankovo».

• Winter
• Spring
• Summer
• Autumn

Winter

Karachun (December 19-21, depending on the year) - slavic holiday dedicated to the winter solstice. Named in honor of the Slavic deity of the cold and the frost - Karachun. The ancestors of the Belarusians believed that Karachun governed frosts and shortens the light day. Bears-rockers and wolves-snowstorms helped him in this. The «Mukhovetska Kumora» agro-festival annually hosts the Karachun holiday, during which the invited entertainers in the images of the god of frost, his servants and Vikings entertain guests. You can find out about your fate by spreading the Scandinavian runes.

Maslenitsa (last week before the Great Lent) is the feast of winter's wake and the meeting of spring. It is noted in the last week before the Great Lent. By tradition, during the Maslenitsa hostess bakes pancakes - the symbols of the sun. At the end of the Maslenitsa week, large-scale festivities are held, during which there are various dances and funny contests - for courage, dexterity and physical strength. The celebration is the burning of the effigy of Winter.

Kolyady (December 25 - January 6) is an ancient pagan celebration dedicated to the beginning of the new year. Kolyady were considered to be one of the main holidays and people prepared for it in advance: they cleaned the house, pinned domastic animals for the festive table, put on new clothes. Young people gathered in groups and went caroling. Kolyady participants went to the houses where they sang, danced, played funny scenes. Currently, the tradition of celebrating Kolyady is not forgotten. Theatrical performances are organized in numerous ethno-cultural complexes of Belarus with songs, dances and colorful caroling characters: a goat, a bear, a gypsy and others.

Depending on the region of Belarus, the Kolyady can be different. In Kopyl district of Minsk region, there was Ceremony «Christmas carols». Instead of all the usual characters, young men in the houses of villagers went around in the images of soldiers. They sang, danced and played Christmas skits. In 1996, the people of the village of Semezhevo revived the ritual according to the archival documents and the memories of the old residents, because you can see the unique rite almost in its original form with your own eyes.

In Lepel district of Vitebsk region, during the Christmas season, a game was called «Marriage of Tereshka». The meaning of the ritual was that young boys and girls could get to know each other and create a couple in the future. For this, dances were arranged, the table was laid, a real wedding was staged. Currently, the rite «Marriage of Tereshka» has been restored and is annually held in Lepel district. The locals dance and sing the songs that their mothers and grandmothers sang several decades ago.

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Spring

Gukanne vesny (middle-end of March) is an ancient rite of spring calling. To accelerate its arrival, the ancient Slavs held a holiday, during which they called spring with help of special songs «vesnyanki», and also made figures birds from paper, threads, ribbons or dough and decorated them with trees. Such figures hung as high as possible, in order to be noticed by real birds, who, according to the beliefs of their ancestors, carried spring on their wings. You can take part in the Gukanne vesny holiday by visiting Museum complex of Strochitsy . You can make your bird out of paper and try to call the spring with the help of songs. The holiday doesn't have a clearly defined scenario or concept. The main thing is a good mood.

Verbnitsa or Palm Sunday (sixth week of Lent) is a Christian holiday - the Entry of the God into Jerusalem. It's celebrated in the last Sunday before Easter. According to tradition, on this day, believers are consecrated in churches of willow branch as a sign that Jesus Christ once entered this day Jerusalem is riding a donkey. In the eastern tradition, this means that the Savior entered a city with peace. In honor of this event, the townspeople laid down the way of Christ with palm trees branches, which in the northern countries were replaced by willow branches - the first tree, which is dissolved in the spring.

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Summer

Kupalie (June 24 - old style, July 7 - new style) is an ancient Slavic holiday of the summer solstice and the flowering of the earth. Traditions of the celebrations of Kupalye go back to ancient times, when the ancestors of Belarusians worshiped not only the pagan gods, but also the natural elements - fire, water, earth. The ancient Slavs believed that in the Kupala night, spirits and witches went around the world, plants and animals begin to talk - it is only necessary to find a magical flower of fern. Also, on that night, it is customary to arrange parties: jumping over bonfire, singing and dancing. In Belarus, compared with other East European countries, the traditions of the celebration of Kupala are most fully preserved. Every year in the museum complex Dudutki and agrotown Alexandria large-scale celebrations are arranged. Usually, in Belarusian ethno-complexes, museums and agrofarmsteads, the festival is celebrated on June 24, and city and district festivities are held on July 7. You have a unique opportunity to take part in the celebration of Kupala several times.

Zazhinki (July 21) is the reaping ritual that was held before the beginning harvesting of grain. For many centuries, this rite was one of the most important traditions of the Belarusians. According to the beliefs, thanks to the rite, the ears of bread became heavier, and the land became more fertile. Zazhinki were celebrated all over the city, with dances and songs, which were devoted to hard peasant labor and hard work of grain growers. Despite the fact that this is not a religious holiday, they carefully prepared for it - they cleaned the house and yard, made a festive dinner. The ritual of the «Zazhinki» was held at dawn. The most respected women in the village cut off two heaps of ears, one of which was left lying in the field, and the second was carried by them to a house where they decorated it with ribbons and flowers and put it in a red corner. To see how the ceremony passes you can do it in Museum complex of Strochitsy. Guests of the holiday will have an opportunity to make a small sheaf of grain and decorate it.

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Autumn

Dozhinki (October) is a harvest festival. This is one of the most important rituals in Belarusian culture, which has ancient pagan roots. Holiday of gathering harvest is known by many European nations, but most of them lost tradition, celebration, while the Belarusian people, despite a century of Christian domination, managed to keep the ceremony. On the last day of the harvest, all the members of the joint work went out in a field and cleaned. Each stroke of the sickle is accompanied by a special ritual songs. At the end of the day, they collected the total bundle from the collected ears, which was decorated with wild flowers and motley ribbons. Total bundle could be left in the field until next year, or take to the village. Today, Dozhinki harvest festival is celebrated in Belarus at the highest level. Every year, in one of district centers of each region, there is a festival of rural workers, during which they honor the best farmers of the country.

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