An archive photo
MINSK, 31 August (BelTA) – Belarusian Written Language Day is taking place in Ivatsevichi, Brest Oblast. The festival will wrap up on 1 September, BelTA has learned.
Belarusian Written Language Day has been held for many years in various towns across Belarus. The main mission of the festival is to celebrate and promote national culture and literature. The festival is usually hosted by towns known for their rich historical and cultural heritage. The tradition of celebrating Belarusian Written Language Day was started in 1994, when the Day of Belarusian Literature and Printing was held for the first time in Polotsk on 28 August. On 26 March 1998, Belarus' President Decree No. 157 “On State Holidays, Public Holidays and Memorable Dates in the Republic of Belarus” was passed. It provided for holding Belarusian Written Language Day every year on the first Sunday of September. Since then, the festival has been gaining momentum and receiving support at the highest level.
In previous years the festival was hosted by Polotsk, Turov, Novogrudok, Nesvizh, Orsha, Pinsk, Zaslavl, Mstislavl, Mir, Kamenets, Postavy, Shklov, Borisov, Smorgon, Khoiniki, Gantsevichi, Glubokoye, Bykhov, Shchuchin, Rogachev, Ivanovo, Slonim, Belynichi, and Kopyl. In 2023, the 30th edition of Belarusian Written Language Day was held in Gorodok. The concept of the festival was based on the following themes: the Year of Peace and Creation, the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Gorodok from the Nazi invaders and the 140th anniversary of the birth of Yanka Mavr.
All the towns hosting Belarusian Written Language Day are spruced up in the run-up to the festival. Buildings are repaired and renovated, streets and squares are embellished, new residential houses, social and cultural facilities are inaugurated, new monuments are unveiled. Participants and guests of the festival have the opportunity to attend book presentations, meet with Belarusian and foreign writers, journalists, publishers, listen to performances by poets and writers, artistic groups.
This year, Ivatsevichi was selected as the venue for Belarusian Written Language Day. This town in Brest Oblast is known for its distinctive traditions and creative heritage. The town is located on the right bank of the Grivda River, 136km northeast of Brest and 206km from Minsk. More than 22,000 people live there.
Ivatsevichi has carefully prepared to receive numerous visitors. Its central streets and the local Community Center were renovated, the sculpture “Children of the Forest School” was installed near the center. The sculptural composition shows a boy and girl from a partisan unit who are reading a book, which is meant to show that children are always thirsty for knowledge no matter in what circumstances they are. A recreation area was unveiled near the central library, and a new fountain was mounted on the square. Another gift for the town was the art object “Floating Books”.
The extensive and diverse program of the festival includes the conference “Ivatsevichi Readings”, the Book and Press Festival in the city center, thematic expositions, presentations and interactive platforms, the exhibition “Belarus Remembers” dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the country's liberation from the Nazi invaders, the exhibition “Modern Belarus” timed to the 30th anniversary of the Constitution and the 30th anniversary of the institution of the presidency, as well as the exposition “Made in Belarus” dedicated to the Year of Quality.
Publishing houses will present their books and arrange meetings with authors. Young readers who became finalists of the national competition “Living Classics” will perform at the gala concert. Libraries, museums, mass media outlets, and public associations have prepared thematic zones. Lenin Street will host artisans who will sell their craftwork and hold master classes. An exhibition of works by artists from Brest Oblast and an open-air cinema will be running near the local Community Center.
Spectators will be able to see a historical re-enactment dedicated to the partisan movement in Ivatsevichi District during the Great Patriotic War.
The grand opening of Belarusian Written Language Day will take place at 20:00. Winners of the National Literary Award will be celebrated during the opening ceremony. The first day of the festival will end with colorful fireworks.
Thematic exhibitions, presentations, and interactive sites will continue throughout the second day of the festival, on 1 September. The closing ceremony will be held on the main stage at 14:00. The festival will end with the transfer of the pennant to the town that will host the next edition of the festival, which is Lida, Grodno Oblast.
Follow us on:
