Maslenitsa dolls from all regions of Vitebsk region will be shown at the festival in Gorodok

A contest-presentation of Maslenitsa dolls will adorn the regional festival "Maslenichny Razgulyay" in Horadok on February 21, the Vitebsk Regional Methodological Center for Folk Art informed the BELTA correspondent.

"All districts will bring their Maslenitsa effigies, each with its local distinctive features - materials, embroidery, and so on. The festival will begin with a ceremonial procession of the districts led by these Maslenitsa dolls. However, only the Horadok effigy will be burned, while the rest will be sent back to their small homelands to be burned at local festivities on February 22," explained Irina Shatilo, leading methodologist for folk traditions and rituals.

The main festivities will unfold on the central square of Horadok, which has been renovated for "Dazhynki". Guests can expect a concert program featuring authentic Maslenitsa rituals, songs, dances, and round dances. Exhibitions of crafts and folk cuisine will also be held here, along with children's and adult play areas dedicated to traditional folk games of the regions. A chastushka contest will entertain guests, and hot tea will warm them up against the frost. And, of course, there will be blini.

Such a large-scale regional festival will be held in the Vitebsk region for the first time.

How to get to the Horadok "Maslenichny Razgulyay" from Vitebsk, see here.

Ekaterina Knyazeva,