Attention to the book!

The reissue of the Taras Na Parnase, the anniversary of Yanka Mavr and Batskaushchyna tea: here’s what the anniversary Day of Belarusian Written Language in Gorodok prepared for the guests

The main event of the domestic book world — the 30th Belarusian Written Language Day — guaranteed great discoveries this season. First, geographical. Well, when else would there be a reason to go to Gorodok, to the small homeland of the author of the Taras Na Parnase Konstantin Verenitsyn? Secondly, scientific discoveries awaited the reading public. Dozens of publications devoted to little-known pages of the history of Belarus, each domestic publishing house has prepared something special for the holiday. And thirdly, Gorodok met the guests with artistic discoveries. New sculptural compositions and a mural with coats of arms and names of all the cities that hosted the Day of Written Language became the background for cool selfies. But, most importantly, only here in two days it was possible to provide oneself with reading for a whole year.

Aleksandr Lukashenko has congratulated participants and guests on Belarusian Written Language Day
“I heartily congratulate you on Belarusian Written Language Day. It is a celebration of national culture, printed word, and Belarusian spirituality, which marks the 30th anniversary this year. In this period Belarusian Written Language Day has been held in many famous centers of culture and enlightenment across Belarus, including Polotsk, Turov, Novogrudok, Nesvizh, Pinsk, Zaslavl, and Shklov. Names of the best domestic internationally recognised authors are connected to them such as Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Kirill of Turov, Piotr of Mstislavl, Spiridon Sobol, and Simeon of Polotsk,” the President emphasised.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted it is symbolical that the 30th anniversary coincides with the Year of Peace and Creation and is celebrated in the hospitable Vitebsk land where Belarusian statehood was born and the oldest book printing center is located.
“Mother tongue, knowledge, and traditions of ancestors always bring people together, inspire them to work hard, allow them to overcome difficulties and hardships. They always represent an inexhaustible wellspring of strength and wisdom of the people, a pillar for nurturing patriotism and love of the Fatherland,” the President stressed.
The Head of State wished good health, happiness, life wisdom, and creative work for the benefit of the Motherland to participants and guests of the festival.
According to the President’s press service

Anniversary after anniversary

Gorodok is the fifth centre of the Belarusian Written Language in Vitebsk Region in 30 years. Previously, it was hosted three times by the birthplace of the pioneer printer Francysk Skaryna — ancient Polotsk, and once each by Glubokoye, Postavy and Orsha. In the year of the anniversary holiday, almost every festive event was reflected in the person of Konstantin Verenitsyn. His Taras Na Parnase was considered anonymous for many years — literary critic Gennady Kiselev made a sensational discovery only in 1973. On Saturday, September 2nd, odes to Verenitsyn were sung in the city square. The Garadotski Parnas festival of folk art, poetry and folklore was held here. The programme was solid — from the campaign for the collective reading of Taras Na Parnase and the Veranitsynskaya Zorka literary marathon to the awarding of the Zamlyak Goda Garadochchyny award. 
But besides Verenitsyn, the Vitebsk land has given the world of book publishing a lot of glorious names, Deputy Information Minister of Belarus Igor Buzovsky draws attention, “Let’s remember everyone! First of all, however, I want to note that 30 years is the date that already allows us to draw some conclusions, to summarise the work of various branches of book publishing and book distribution. In our country, attention is paid to the book not in words, but in deeds. 

All these 30 years, the Head of State has supported writers and poets, as evidenced even by our foreign guests, who come, among other things, to the Minsk International Book Fair. All of them emphasise the uniqueness of the attitude to the book in Belarus — and these are not just pathetic words.”

Another important date of this holiday is the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Gorodok from Nazi invaders.
“We could not get around such a date, especially in the Year of Peace and Creation. This theme is reflected both in the concert numbers of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Day of Written Language, and in the events that took place on the near-stage venues,” Igor Buzovsky continues.
Director of the Mastatskaya Litaratura Publishing House Aleksandr Badak recalled another major anniversary of 2023 — the 140th anniversary of the birth of Yanka Mavr, a classic of Belarusian literature, “We presented two publications at once: Yanka Mavr. Apovesti. Apavyadanne and Yakub Kolas. Selected Works in 2 Volumes. The names of Mavr and Kolas often stand side by side, and this is no accident. Many people know that at one time the classics became related: the son of Yakub Kolas Mikhas married the daughter of Yanka Mavr Natalia. Mavr and Kolas have common grandchildren and great-grandchildren, they actively take part in events.”
In addition, every year Mastatskaya Litaratura publishes books related to the places where the holiday takes place. This year, a chic novelty saw the light of day — the reissue of Taras Na Parnase.

Tea break

Chairman of the Union of Writers of Belarus Aleksandr Karlyukevich, in turn, drew attention to one of the main book favorites of the anniversary Day of Belarusian Written Language — the photo album called Ad Vitsebska da Polatska. Padarozhzha u Chase from the Batskaushchyna. U Poshukah Strachanaga series. This is a joint historical and educational project of the Information Ministry of Belarus and a well-known collector, winner of the Presidential Prize For Spiritual Revival Vladimir Likhodedov.
“This photo album can be seen as a virtual journey through time. The collection of Vladimir Likhodedov contains postcards from all regions of the Vitebsk Region. On them, you can even find those places, towns and estates, about which little is known to the public. Now they are all collected under one cover. This is really a unique material, it will be useful, among other things, for local historians and guides in their work,” Aleksandr  Karlyukevich is sure.
Vladimir Likhodedov himself, by the way, celebrated a kind of anniversary in Gorodok — the 20th anniversary of the In Search of the Lost project.
“It seems that only recently I began to appear on the pages of SB. Belarus Segodnya, but 20 years have already passed. Therefore, in Gorodok I tried to show everything that I managed to do over these two decades. The Ad Vitsebska da Polatska. Padarozhzha u Chase book really turned out to be a landmark. Each (!) district of the Vitebsk Region is represented in it, many photos are published for the first time,” Vladimir Likhodedov gets nostalgic.
Over the years, Vladimir Likhodedov continues, he published 50 books. All of them were available to readers at the project stand.
“The project has long crossed the boundaries of the newspaper, began to develop in completely different directions. One of these was Drukarski Dvor with a printing press, similar to the one on which Francysk Skaryna printed his Bible. The machine, as well as the Bible recreated on it, was demonstrated to the guests of the stand” the collector said.

In addition, there was also the opportunity to take a break for a tea break. Especially for the Day of Written Language, a fragrant novelty was presented at the Batskaushchyna tea stand, which gave the project a special taste and will soon be sold throughout the country.

Another special gift for each guest is Stuzhka Chasu Batskaushchyny, which can be tied around a hand or decorated with a car. After all, it is a symbol of the consolidation of all caring Belarusians, Deputy Information Minister of Belarus Igor Buzovsky emphasises, “At the heart of the ribbon is a national ornament, which our grandmothers used in their embroideries and which a little later adorned the State Flag of Belarus. Thus, we emphasised the connection of the past with the present and future. After all, our main task today is no longer the search for historical truth, but its maintenance and preservation.”

By Yuliana Leonovich

Photos by Anton Stepanischev, Iliya Shvedko