The Belarusians are known to be hard-working people. They dont lose their temper and patience. Belarusian people are tolerant; they always keep their good sense of humour. The Belarusians are open, friendly and very hospitable. They remember the heroic past of the country, look into their future with hope and do everything possible to live a better life. They can work hard and have a good rest.
There are many holidays celebrated in our Republic. We celebrate New Year, Christmas, Easter, May Day, Victory Day, Independence Day, Remembrance Day Dziady and others.
Some holidays are connected with our history, some of them are religious. All the holidays are very important for Belarusian people, especially such old ones as Easter and Christmas.
Easter is a religious holiday. It is a church holiday and many churches have an outdoor service on this day. Easter marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. There exists a custom to colour eggs on that day.
Christmas is a religious holiday, too. On that day people send cards of Christmas greetings to their relatives and friends and wish Merry and Happy Christmas.
Remembrance Day is a great event for the Belarusians. It is called Dziady. This holiday is dedicated to the memory of those who died or perished. It is officially celebrated on the first Saturday in November. On this day people remember their dead parents, grandparents and relatives. To express their honour to the dead, the Belarusians lay the table with food on this day. They do their best to show the warmest welcome to the souls of their grandfathers and ancestors. It is believed that on Remembrance Day the souls return to the houses they used to live in. Dziady is a holiday when people associate everything in nature with the souls of the dead.
The most exciting holiday is Victory Day marked on May 9. On this day in 1945 Soviet people won the great victory over the German fascists. Since that time people have been commemorating the heroes who gave their lives for the future of our Motherland. On May 9, we put flowers to the graves of the defenders of our country.
There is one holiday which is celebrated on the day of summer solstice. It is the Ivan Kupala holiday, one of the most poetic holidays in Belarus. Young men and women gather together in clearings, make crowns of flowers and jump over camp-fires. Most of them wear Belarusian costumes white linen shirts or white dresses. On the shortest summer night young people go to the woods where they try to find a blooming fern as the tradition says.
Most of the folk holidays in Belarus are associated with farm work. One of them called Dozhinki literally means picking up the last remaining wheat ears in the field. It signals the end of the harvesting in autumn. This holiday is five hundred years old. During the holiday people make a show of their work and art: potters make pots and jugs, musicians play the svirel the ancient wood pipe. People usually dance to fiddles.
Comprehension check
15. Agree or disagree with the following statements.
1. The pagan holiday Kalyady coincided later with Christmas.
2. On the Remembrance Day souls of the dead are believed to come out of their tombs and into the wide world.
3. Victory Day, celebrated on May 1, is a commemorative event in our life.
4. One of the culminating moments of Kupalle is the search for a magic fern-flower in the forest.
5. The folk holiday Dozhinki signals the beginning of the harvesting in summer.
6. The Belarusians are generally recognized as hard-working, industrious and patient people.
Vocabulary practice
16.These words can be used both as verbs and nouns. Make up your own sentences to show the difference in their usage.
Work, mark, colour, honour, signal, dance, wish.
Reading
17. Read the text and get ready to speak about places of interest in Belarus.
