Chasing rabbits and dogs will be part of the first wedding festival in the Vitebsk region

November 13, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. "Tearing the hare" and "chasing the dog" will be featured at the first wedding festival in the Vitebsk region in Dubrovno on November 14. Animal advocates can rest assured: these actions have nothing to do with their protégés, assured the head of the culture department of the Dubrovno District Executive Committee, Ekaterina Labuko, to a BELTA correspondent. Participants and guests of the festival will have a unique opportunity to witness weddings from different parts of the Vitebsk region. For example, residents of Braslav will show how engagements, or "zaruchyny" in Belarusian, are celebrated in their area. In the Vitebsk district, the newlyweds are still traditionally welcomed after registration or a wedding ceremony in a special way, and folk tradition keepers from the village of Mazolovo will reenact this. As for "tearing the hare" and "chasing the dog," these will be performed by the festival hosts – the residents of Dubrovno. As Ekaterina Labuko explained, the tradition of blocking the road for the newlyweds on their way and demanding a symbolic ransom, which has survived to this day in various parts of Belarus, is called "tearing the hare" in the Dubrovno district. However, before the road is cleared for the newlyweds, they will be shown a theatrical performance with songs, jokes, and fun pranks, where the role of the "hare," who has to pay for everything, is played by an obligatory participant in any wedding – the matchmaker. "Chasing the dog" is another unusual ritual observed in the Dubrovno region. After the wedding celebration and guests have dispersed, only the closest relatives of the bride and groom remain at the table. However, they are not allowed to sit peacefully at the table by a "dog," whose role is played by the most cheerful and lively female guest. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law must drive her away, thereby establishing peace and tranquility at the table and in the house. These and other rituals will be demonstrated by 7 folklore groups from 6 districts of the region. In addition, all districts have presented video films about local wedding traditions, both authentic and modern, for the festival. The festival organizers hope that this will attract the attention of young people to national traditions, preserve unique customs, and bring back Belarusian flavor to Europeanized modern weddings. In Ekaterina Labuko's opinion, this festival will definitely have a continuation in the future. Using her district as an example, she has seen that national traditions are of increasing interest to young people and the middle generation. Not a single wedding in Dubrovno now takes place without the participation of local folklore groups, which not only preserve local rituals but also restore lost ones based on the memories of the elderly. -0-