The Republican "Festival of Two Rivers" was held in Dokshytsy for the third time
Following tradition, the City Day celebration was held as part of the festival.
United by Berezina and Viliya
Creative groups from different regions of Belarus, through which the Berezina and Viliya rivers flow, originating in the Dokshytsy region, participate in the festival annually.
For example, this year the festival was attended by the folk song ensemble "Lyavonikha" from the Berezinsky District Culture Center of the Minsk Region, the folklore ensemble "Adradzhenne" from the Khotsimsky District Culture Center of the Mogilev Region, the folk Cossack ensemble "Volnitsa" from Bobruisk, and other talented performers. Delegations from the cities of Palkino and Dmitriev of the Russian Federation, and Balvi of the Republic of Latvia were present.
– This year Dokshytsy turns 611 years old, – noted the Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Oleg Pinchuk. – By a good tradition, established 11 years ago, we celebrate City Day at the end of summer, when the harvest ripens in the gardens and the flowerbeds are in full bloom.
Residents always prepare for the holiday with special diligence. In the run-up to the celebration, various events and contests are held, for example, for the best courtyard territory of apartment buildings.
Addressing the guests and participants of the festival, Oleg Leonidovich thanked the work collectives that are successfully operating, paying attention to landscaping, tidying up the land, and preserving traditions.
Head of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee’s Department of Culture Petr Podgursky read out congratulations from the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev and the Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Terentyev, addressed to the guests and participants of the celebrations.
Musical Gift
On City Day, the song “Dokszycki Krai” premiered. It was performed by a combined choir of creative groups, enterprises, organizations, and institutions of the district. The people’s choir of labor veterans “Golden Years” set the tone. In total, over 110 people sang together in a friendly and coordinated manner. Such a choir had never performed in Dokszyce before. Among the performers was the author of the lyrics, Irina Sisitskaya, a resident of Dokszyce, and the conductor was **composer and author of the music Marjan Zelenkevich**.
– I come to the festival every year, – said Marjan Kazimirovich. – Last year, I promised to give the city a song. I even overfulfilled my promise, writing three songs to the lyrics of Irina Sisitskaya, including the festival anthem.
Other natives of the region came to congratulate their fellow countrymen on the holiday, including Veronika Romanenkova, a candidate of art history and a lecturer at the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts, and Nadezhda Avlasevich, a laureate of regional, republican, and international competitions and a lecturer at the Vitebsk College of Arts.
On City Day, the oldest residents of the district center were invited to the festive stage. One of them shared his secret to longevity: it turns out that for the last 30-40 years, he has only drunk spring water. By the way, at the celebration, in addition to water from a consecrated source, one could also try crystal-clear well water brought from different villages of the district.
This year, 110 babies were born in the region. Almost every third of them took part in the festive parade of the youngest residents of the region.
What is a celebration without treats?
Five years ago, as part of City Day, organizers proposed setting up "Smachny Falvarak" (Tasty Farmstead) in the central square of Dokshytsy. Townspeople and villagers supported the idea. Soon, the exhibition of treats became an integral part of the holiday. Everyone who loves and knows how to cook demonstrates their culinary skills.
In the park, village councils set up their farmsteads, focusing on attractions and delicious brands. For example, the agro-town of Sitsy is famous for its homemade cheeses made according to ancient recipes. In Berezino, housewives serve aromatic dishes with blueberries, and in Porplishche – with apples. The Berezkovsky village council is famous for its delicious birch sap.
And the Dokshytsy farmstead is a paradise for fishermen. Everyone had the opportunity to taste fish soup cooked over a campfire, or fluffy pastries with fish filling. Anna Kuznetsova, artistic director of the Barsukovsky Rural House of Culture, invited festival participants to try baked fish prepared according to a special recipe.
The folk ensemble of folk songs "Pryzbachki" of the Volkolatsky Rural House of Culture beckoned visitors with culinary delights featuring sour-sweet cranberries, which are abundant in the vicinity of the village.
Specifically for the festival, masters from the Center for Children and Youth, Tatyana Stadolnik and Natalia Kontsevaya, prepared a patchwork "Canvas of Friendship." For the presentation of their project, Natalia created costumes in the same style. "This is currently on-trend," assured the participants of the fashion theater "Slavyanochka" from the Center for Children and Youth, presenting a new collection at the festival, also made in patchwork technique using natural fabrics and lace.
For the holiday, townspeople organized an exhibition-competition of three-dimensional compositions made from vegetables. Passers-by were amazed by a samovar made of pumpkins and pattypan squash, graceful swans made from heads of cabbage, and a house made of zucchini and carrots. The first place in the competition, according to the jury members, was taken by the territorial center for social services for the population of the district, which crafted a fruit and vegetable car.
A fair of folk craftsmen from Vitebsk region was held on the central street of the city.
On the way to the source
One of the significant events of the festival is the theatrical procession "Two Rivers Gather Friends". According to tradition, participants move from the city center to the source of the Berezina River, the "heroine of the occasion," so to speak.
It is there, near the water surface, that the festival takes place. As part of the "Inflorescence of Friendship" program, folk and pop ensembles performed on stage. Children relaxed in a rope town, enjoyed treats, and young artists painted landscapes on the riverbank. A fair of organic food was held in the park, and thematic areas were open.
Near a voluminous decorative composition, the "Swan Fidelity" ceremony took place, in which young spouses Alexander and Anastasia Zemchenok participated.
The celebration continued in the "Iskra" cinema and concert hall, where a review-competition of family creativity and a vocal competition "Berezina Melodies" were held. Talents from Vitebsk, Minsk, Grodno, and Mogilev regions took part. For example, in the "Vocal Ensemble" nomination in the age category up to 30 years, the trio "Tandem" from the Polotsk District Culture Center won.
By the way, the festival's logo, which has become a cultural brand of the region, is adorned with a swan with spread wings, symbolizing two rivers filled with creativity, purity, love, friendship, and loyalty to family traditions.