The ecological festival "Cranes and Cranberries of the Miory Region" gathered several thousand participants.
They headed to the peninsula, from where a hum could be heard in the morning. The festival, as in previous years, promised to bring new impressions, be remembered for new discoveries, acquaintances, and a warm atmosphere. And for those who participated in the various events preceding it, it also became a final point in summing up the results of the competitions.
One of them is the cranberry picking competition. This year, 9 teams competed in this activity. According to the chairman of the jury, Alexander Bareyka, the women worked diligently for four hours in the swamp near the ecological trail. The most significant harvest was by the education workers. In total, 18 participants brought 170 kg of cranberries from "Yelnya".
By the way, there are indeed many of them this year. Zanna Petrovskaya, a resident of the village of Sukhoverzhye, said that her family collects blueberries, lingonberries, bilberries, and cranberries – the latter in quantities of two tons or more, and they derive good income from it.
The cranberry harvesting season is in full swing, and at the same time, 4,000 or more grey cranes and thousands of geese are resting during their migration in Yelnya. There is plenty to see and marvel at.
Guests arrived from afar and the surrounding area for the holiday, which this year included two important events. Within the framework of the festival, the Miory District Council of Deputies and the District Executive Committee, represented by their heads Mariya Bonifatyeva and Igor Kuznetsov, and Krustpils Municipality of the Republic of Latvia, whose delegation was led by the Chairman of the Municipal Duma Kārlis Pabērze and Executive Director Raimonds Spēks, signed a cooperation agreement in a wide range of activities.
As part of the festival, a campsite for tourists was opened in the village of Zacharye – the result of cooperation between the Miory region and Poland.
The ribbon was cut by the Chairman of the District Executive Committee Igor Kuznetsov, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Belarus Artur Michalski, and the Director of the Disna Forestry Igor Bacharenka. Speaking at the ceremony, all three noted the fruitful cooperation, which, they hope, will be filled with new joint projects.
Meanwhile, on the peninsula, the traditional place for holidays and festivities, its own events unfolded. Those who wished to observe birds stopped at the stand of the organization "Aхова птушак Бацькаўшчыны" (Birds of the Fatherland Protection), studied the bus schedule to the crane observation site, and then took it to the field where the birds were feeding. This year, there are not many of them around the swamp yet.
As explained by the Director of the "Yelnya" Reserve Ivan Barok, due to the warm weather, the birds are not yet in a hurry to fly to distant Africa, the journey to which takes them about three days.
At the site, excursionists replenished their knowledge about birds, their habits, and waited for their turn to observe cranes through binoculars and telescopes. Those who wished to learn more about the swamp and its inhabitants went to the reserve's visitor center. The rest went to the peninsula, where a crowd buzzed, music and songs sounded, people walked around the homesteads, tasted dishes, and marveled at the skill of cooks and artisans.
According to tradition, each rural council specially equipped its homestead, where it told the history of its localities, spoke about the best workers and artistic groups, and demonstrated the achievements of peasant gardens. And, of course, they wanted to conquer the hearts of visitors with richly laid tables, where each dish had a special recipe. Amateur artists helped the hosts of the homesteads.
At Yaznenskoye, the widely known folk groups "Istovitsa" and "Yazynka", and the mistress of the swamp Zhada, were active, and two skillful "milkmaids" offered a lottery and entertainment. The Disnenskoye homestead attracted with the singing of the folk song ensemble "Kalina" and an exhibition of artisans' works, next to which carver Vladimir Maisyonok carved panels – grape clusters. The Povyatyevskoye homestead beckoned with the smell of fried meat – they were cooking a suckling pig and shashlik. At the Uzmenskoye homestead, they poured "rooster soup" and served hot cracklings.
The homesteads of "Klennaya" by Tamara Kosataya and "Sadziba arataga" by Zhabionki were presented by the hosts. Local and visiting artisans displayed their exhibitions.
But then the fanfares sounded. The head of the local administration Igor Kuznetsov, the general director of the metal rolling plant Pyotr Shimukovich, who was a sponsor of the festival, the Consul General of the Republic of Belarus in Daugavpils Vladimir Klimov, and the head of the delegation of Krustpils region Kārlis Pabērze took the stage.
Congratulating everyone on the holiday, they spoke about the importance of nature conservation and the development of interethnic relations. Then, the results of the reviews of competitions for the improvement of production areas, homesteads, and the best village elders were announced. Dozens of residents of Miory region received diplomas, letters of appreciation, and gifts.
The gifts for all participants of the holiday were concerts by guests from Latvia, and Belarusian amateur and professional artists.