The "Odigitria" festival will bring together Orthodox youth from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia in Vitebsk

July 30, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. The Orthodox youth festival "Odigitria" will open on July 31 in Vitebsk, the event coordinator, priest Alexander Kovalev, told a BELTA correspondent.

About 200 young people from various parts of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia will take part in the event. The festival program includes various sports competitions, games, creative contests, excursions, boat trips on the Western Dvina River, spiritual discussions, an Orthodox ball, as well as master classes in bell ringing, belt weaving, and clay modeling. A general confession and a night divine liturgy will be held on August 1 after the participants' concert at the creative venue of the cultural and historical complex "Golden Ring of the City of Vitebsk "Dvina". The best performers will perform at the gala concert on the stage of the Summer Amphitheater on August 3. 

The summing up of all projects is planned for August 4. The concluding part of the festival will be a five-day traditional religious procession to Smolensk for the feast in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God "Odigitria", which will start from Vitebsk on August 5.

The Orthodox youth festival "Odigitria" serves to strengthen spiritual unity and friendship among young people from different countries. The event is designed to promote the development of youth creativity.-0-