Draniki competition and a search for a sacred place in the house. How was the Belarusian hut festival celebrated in Ushachy district?
– This is a collective image of a traditional Belarusian house. Of course, young people live in a modern way, while the older generation still decorates rooms with rushnyks, straw spiders, and uses utensils made of willow, straw, and clay. I know people who use their grandfathers' butter churns and are convinced that butter made by hand churning is the most delicious, – says Elena Kamovich, director of the rural House of Culture.
Therefore, when the agro-town was offered to choose its cultural brand, the residents of Glybochka decided that it would be the Belarusian dwelling. It is to this that they dedicated their festival. As Marina Makridina, director of the Ushachi Center of Culture and Folk Art, explained, this form of organizing cultural leisure for rural residents, which is being implemented within the framework of the Year of Small Motherland, is the most attractive and meets people's needs. If previously village days were held, which were similar to each other, now agro-towns have the opportunity to present their original programs. Within the framework of the new project, this year the lake festival was held in Verkudy, the milk festival in Velikie Doltsy, and the rushnyk festival in Matyrino. In Kublichi, they plan to glorify Belarusian potatoes, and in Orekhovno – pancakes. And all this is not a random choice of theme; each settlement offered what is closest to it, what it is famous for, as its brand.
In Glybochka, folk customs and traditions are revered; there is a corner of Belarusian life in the local school, and a children's folklore group and the vocal group "Rukshenitsa" have been created at the House of Culture. By the way, the Belarusian democratic poet Felix Topchevsky, who signed with the pseudonym "Khvelka from Rukshenitsy," was born in these places. At the end of last year, an informational memorial plaque was installed at the local cemetery where the poet is buried.
The elder of the agro-town, Maria Papelskaya, spoke about the people who brought fame to Glybochka. One of them is the self-taught artist and participant of the Great Patriotic War, Demyan Krupnya, who took an honorable place at the celebration and decorated the Belarusian hut with his paintings glorifying his native land. The Deputy Chairman of the Ushachi District Executive Committee, Elena Pashkovich, and the Chairman of the Glybochansky Village Council, Viktor Sherstnev, addressed the residents with warm words.
The festive program was rich in contests, concert performances, and a story about how Belarusians have built and furnished their homes since ancient times, with each corner having its own functional and sacred purpose. The ceremonial part of the hut was the "red corner" with icons, decorated with rushnyks. This place was reserved for the most respected guests and the owner of the house. The last sheaf of the new harvest was placed here, and during weddings, the bride and groom sat there. The space between the stove and the end wall was occupied by a resting platform, above which were placed shelves where the elderly usually slept. Benches stood along the walls, and in the kitchen corner, there was a cupboard for dishes, a spoon rack, and a bench for a bucket of water. In front of the stove, there were usually poles and rods attached to the ceiling beams, on which clothes, towels, and bunches of herbs were dried.
The Belarusian hut has always been famous for its hospitality, which was demonstrated at the festival by local hostesses who prepared traditional Belarusian dishes for their fellow villagers and held a competition for the most delicious draniki.