The tradition of 'hanging shackles on bachelors' will take place in Liozno during Maslenitsa

February 12, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The first regional festival of ritual folklore "And we have Maslenitsa today!" will be held on February 14 in Liozno, the deputy head of the Liozno District Executive Committee, Irina Dervoed, told a BELTA correspondent. 10 children's and adult folklore groups from Liozno, Polotsk, Gorodok, Vitebsk, Dubrovno districts and Novopolotsk will take part in the grand celebration. The event will begin with a cheerful procession, during which sparkling buffoons to the sounds of dulcimers and accordions will invite everyone to the main stage. It is there that the main action will unfold: each group will show its local authentic ritual of seeing off winter. For example, Liozno folklorists will hang blocks on bachelors. Unmarried men and young people will have to buy themselves off with jokes, songs and dances, so as not to receive a heavy block as a free "necklace" around their necks. The traditional symbolic dish of Maslenitsa is pancakes. All sorts of varieties will be presented at the festival: with butter, cottage cheese, jam, mozhanka and other fillings. At the same time, in addition to pancakes, festival participants will also be able to taste the Maslenitsa ritual dishes of each of the regions represented at the festival. What delicacies the folklore groups will surprise guests with, the organizers decided to keep a secret. "Those who come and try will find out!" the interlocutor noted. The traditional end of the holiday will be a large round dance and the burning of the effigy of winter to spring songs. The festival is designed to promote the preservation of local rituals, as well as their more active use in holidays. The organizers of the event are the Department of Culture of the Liozno District Executive Committee and the Vitebsk Regional Scientific and Methodological Center for Folk Art. -0-