Festival "Call of Polesie"

The first festival of ethnic and cultural traditions "Call of Polesie” took place on the 17^th of September in the agricultural town of Lyaskovichi (Petrikovski district, Gomel region)."

Sergei Sidorsky, Prime Minister of Belarus, started the festival. In his opinion, the festival of ethnic and cultural traditions "Call of Polesie" is not only the evidence of great respect for the traditional culture of Belarusian people, but also a confirmation of our aspiration for preserving the heritage of Polesie in all its pristine versatility.

Works of professional, amateur and folk artists were presented during the festival to numerous audience and guests. It is one more special, unique and memorable part of this great event. The audience had a rare opportunity to see the performances of the National Academic Choir of the Republic of Belarus in honour of Tsitovich, the state ensemble "Pesnyary", the national folk ensemble "Radunіtsa" and many others. The audience also enjoyed exquisite craftsmanship of amateur artists, who represented two regions of the country.

The demanding audience of the festival gave a cordial and hearty welcome to the performance of the Honored Academic Ukrainian Folk Choir in honour of Verevka.

During the festival the audience got a unique opportunity to get in touch with the unique culture of Polesie while visiting “The City of Masters". The participants of "The City of Masters" were folk craftsmen: potters, fishermen, hunters, blacksmiths, weavers, wild-honey farmers, coopers, masters of rod and straw plaiting, masters of boats making, masters of Belarusian embroidery and masters of knitting and crocheting.

The program of the festival included concerts of creative groups, the Fair of crafts, contests of farmsteads and national cuisine, an exhibition and presentation of the most interesting social and cultural projects, presentation of films and videos that reflect nature, life and culture of Polesie and a youth disco on the bank of the Pripyat River.

The guests of the festival could go boating (motor ships, outboard motorboats and pair-oar boats). They also had a chance to ride on horseback or in a carriage. The guests could try canoe rafting, fishing and Belarusian safari. In the evening the guests were offered to ride on a barge and take part in a three-hour dance program. The guests of the festival were met by the band "Palace “on the bank of the Pripyat.

Stepan Bambiza, director general of National Park "Pripyatsky":

- Our festival is one of the stages of the revival of Polesie. This large-scale work on the President`s initiative, includes social, economic, cultural and ecological areas… All these areas are connected. It is important nowadays that more people knew about our region with its unique nature and original traditions… I regard the first festival as a basis, which will accumulate new ideas and develop each year. We tried to make this holiday full of content and informative. We wanted people to come back. And our guests are always welcome.