Posted:
10.07.2024 10:35:00
Alexandria has gathered friends again!
The big national holiday — the Kupala Night Festival (Alexandria Gathers Friends) — was held in the small homeland of the President of Belarus. As is traditional, the fest was attended by Head of State Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The most popular folk holiday of the summer took place on a grand scale last weekend. The bright and heartwarming festival, which is traditionally held in the small homeland of the President of Belarus, turned 15 years old. Every year, the celebration surprises with its creative magnitude. The 15th national holiday — the Kupala Night Festival (Alexandria Gathers Friends) — has updated the attendance record. Last year, the festival was visited by 80,000 people, while this year the audience interest has surpassed 96,000. The cosy agrotown on the banks of the Dnieper River gathered not only guests from all regions of Belarus and neighbouring regions of Russia. For the first time, our friends from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Irkutsk, Magadan and Ulyanovsk regions of the Russian Federation celebrated the Kupala Night together with us. In total, visitors from more than ten countries came to Alexandria. Guests were delighted to try national cuisine, take part in unusual competitions, see exhibitions, enjoy film screenings, lively pop star performances and a spectacular air show, as well as benefit from unique photo zones that ensured an array of photos for social networks. It was a real kaleidoscope of impressions!
Addressing fellow countrymen, participants and guests of the holiday, the President noted, “July has become a kind of Slavic month, a cultural month. From this wonderful holiday in our Alexandria we move to one of the greatest festivals in the world — the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk. Everywhere we are talking about Slavic people. Although today both the holiday in Alexandria and our Vitebsk festival have long ceased to be purely Slavic events.”
The Head of State drew attention to the fact that our friends from more than ten countries arrived in Alexandria, and representatives of over thirty states will come to the Slavianski Bazaar International Festival of Arts. “It all started from here. In those ancient times, the Dnieper River was the route along which our ancestors moved from the south. They hoped to have a free life on this territory. They were probably oppressed in other lands. Our ancestors moved here, to the north, from neighbouring Kiev, from the Danube River. Therefore, the Dnieper is a special river and it is good that our generation has revived this wonderful tradition of gathering on the banks of the ancient Dnieper on Kupala days. For fifteen years now, we have been gathering in this picturesque corner of Belarus to feel the connection of times for a moment. In such a short period of time, we have created a festival that has turned from a small cosy holiday into an event of national and international scale. Nevertheless, it has not lost its cosiness. It really has its special atmosphere. We have preserved the comfort. Our festival has become a place of attraction for creative people and true fans of the original Slavic culture from all over Belarus and from other countries,” the President underlined.
The 15th national holiday — the Kupala Night Festival
(Alexandria Gathers Friends)
Master's workshop — Tatiana Kitayeva
from Mordovia at the Alexandria
Gathers Friends Festival
The Head of State noted that each of us has our own place of power, where we come or return to take a deep breath and spread our wings for a new flight, “I see that this cosy corner of Belarus has found a place in your hearts. I sincerely thank everyone who has graced today’s holiday with their skills and talents. I thank everyone who has been creating a truly authentic atmosphere here throughout all these years. This is especially precious nowadays.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined that the world is changing at a breakneck pace now, “It seems to us that we have learnt and mastered everything. We create an alternative reality in the networks, sometimes living on the Internet. We broke away from real life. But, thank God, there are people like you, with pure thoughts and kind hearts. People who believe in miracles come to Alexandria year after year to celebrate the Kupala Night event — a holiday shrouded in ancient legends and myths. Trofimova Krinitsa [the spring well] also bursts with clean waters for you on this fertile land. We, those born in the neighbourhood, believe in its miraculous power. During the Great Patriotic War, mothers and wives sprinkled water from this source on men going to the front.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined that the world is changing at a breakneck pace now, “It seems to us that we have learnt and mastered everything. We create an alternative reality in the networks, sometimes living on the Internet. We broke away from real life. But, thank God, there are people like you, with pure thoughts and kind hearts. People who believe in miracles come to Alexandria year after year to celebrate the Kupala Night event — a holiday shrouded in ancient legends and myths. Trofimova Krinitsa [the spring well] also bursts with clean waters for you on this fertile land. We, those born in the neighbourhood, believe in its miraculous power. During the Great Patriotic War, mothers and wives sprinkled water from this source on men going to the front.”
The President is convinced that there is no better protection than love for the native land and faith in its power. “We pass this tradition on to our children and generously share it with our friends. We have found what our ancestors had been looking for during a thousand years. We have learnt the true meaning of life. Our peaceful nature, the desire for friendship, respect for traditions of different cultures is the very fern flower which keeps the encoded secret of the world in all its senses. The power of the hospitable Alexandria land and water from Trofimova Krinitsa is enough for everyone.”
The President stressed that today, together with Belarusians, the Kupala Night holiday is being celebrated by guests from more than ten countries of the world, “We have not planned such a large scale, but people have come here on their own. This is the call of their hearts. This is the pursuit of true values, where guests are sincerely welcome, where the pulse of a living creative force beats. However, the most important thing is that we have revived the traditions of our ancestors. We are developing our native national culture. It is not enough to know and remember these traditions, they must become part of modern history.”
The President stressed that today, together with Belarusians, the Kupala Night holiday is being celebrated by guests from more than ten countries of the world, “We have not planned such a large scale, but people have come here on their own. This is the call of their hearts. This is the pursuit of true values, where guests are sincerely welcome, where the pulse of a living creative force beats. However, the most important thing is that we have revived the traditions of our ancestors. We are developing our native national culture. It is not enough to know and remember these traditions, they must become part of modern history.”
Round dance during Kupala celebrations
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, our children should see how we take care of what has been created for centuries. “They should absorb the idea that everything that is made with our own hands — a wicker basket, an earthenware jug, or an embroidered towel — is always beautiful, relevant and fashionable. Folk music is a song of the Slavic soul — this is our song. Alexandria has truly become the centre of the revival of ancient ritual and craft traditions. This is the only way to preserve our own identity: by continuing the thousand-year history of the East Slavic peoples. Knowledge of this history and understanding of the philosophy of native culture are our national treasure. We must preserve it if we want to be a nation. This is the backbone of the Belarusian statehood.”
Jubilee edition of Alexandria Gathers Friends Festival was even more vibrant and large-scale
Addressing the Belarusians and guests of our country present at the festival, the Head of State stressed,
“Dear Belarusians and our closest friends from Ukraine and Russia, I want to tell you once again: think about my offer to buy small plots of land in the so-called unpromising villages for a small sum of money. You know that we have preserved our villages. We are building more than one and a half thousand agrotowns; their location has already been determined. Agriculture is being expanded, meaning that agrotowns will also be large. We still have medium-sized and very small villages where many people used to live. These are wonderful places. You need to revive these villages. May you have a little summer house there. Do it now, it will be too late tomorrow. Do it because you have children and they need to walk barefoot on the ground. There will be no such land plots tomorrow. After all, Belarus has become a quiet, peaceful and cosy place for Russians and Ukrainians.”
The Tarelko family from Mogilev Region is the winner of the Lord of the Village – 2024
Aleksandr Lukashenko recommended that everyone find time and plunge into this natural source of health, as many of our guests from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have already done. “I guarantee that you will be healthy. These are my thoughts here at home. I ask you to listen to my recommendations. After all, I have seen a lot in my life and spent much time on this land where you are today,” the Head of State added.
SPEAKING AT THE KUPALA NIGHT FESTIVAL (ALEXANDRIA GATHERS FRIENDS), Aleksandr Lukashenko shared some of his thoughts with Belarusians and guests of the festive event. In particular, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that July is always a difficult time for the President, because there are a lot of mass events. Moreover, there was an additional burden connected with his working visit to Kazakhstan located four thousand kilometres from Belarus. “Returning home, I planned in advance that I should land here [in my small homeland] because there is a lot of work to do in the east. From here I will work in the near future, watching how we prepare for the harvesting campaign. The harvest in the fields is like never before. I do not remember such a good year like this for agrarians. So far, God has given us a wonderful crop. It is going to be a tough job. I need to see how people here, in the eastern regions, will cope with this.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko admitted that after a packed schedule, stepping on the native land is like plunging into another world, “It is a different world. People come to their roots, they feel better and easier here. Literally in a day, people become healthy and strong”.
Aleksandr Lukashenko admitted that after a packed schedule, stepping on the native land is like plunging into another world, “It is a different world. People come to their roots, they feel better and easier here. Literally in a day, people become healthy and strong”.
Based on materials of sb.by and belta.by
