On the eve of Kupala Night in the Polotsk region, they will show how to gather medicinal herbs and make a herb doll

July 5, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. A master class on collecting medicinal herbs and their use will be given by famous Polotsk herbalists, the ideological work department of the Polotsk District Executive Committee told a BELTA correspondent. According to beliefs, herbs collected on the eve of Kupala night possess special healing and magical powers. Thus, 27 Polotsk herbalists, participants of the club of the same name operating under the centralized library system, are ready on July 6 to tell everyone interested about the properties of medicinal herbs, show how to properly collect, dry, brew them, and prepare various dishes from them. This day will not be without magic either: the herbalists promise to teach how to make herbal amulets and craft the "Kubyshka-travnitsa" doll. This doll is filled with fragrant medicinal herbs. It ensures that illness does not enter the home, protects against evil spirits of illness, and comforts in grief. The doll was hung in the house above a child's cradle, and when the child grew up, it was given to play with. The meadows near the village of Yakovtsy have been chosen as the place for herb gathering. While the ritual is taking place, local residents and guests will be entertained by amateur creative groups. The herbalists have become participants in a new project to revive the original customs of Polotsk residents. Folk festivals are an integral part of national culture. Unfortunately, over time, many good traditions that serve to unite people have begun to be forgotten. Members of amateur creative groups, of which there are many in Polotsk, are painstakingly collecting and restoring the traditions of folk festivals, preserving legends and beliefs associated with certain holidays or rituals. This year, amateur groups have taken the initiative to hold ten master classes on conducting rituals in the villages of the district, thereby breathing new life into them. District authorities have supported this initiative. In the old way, the district intends to celebrate "Vyaselle" (wedding), hold "Khresbiny" (christening), and gather for "Kuzminki" (this is how village gatherings, which began in November, were called in Polotsk). In addition, in Polotsk, they plan to show how great-grandmothers baked black bread and made cheese, how great-grandfathers picked apples on Apple Spas, and on Honey Spas, they charmed bees. -0-