Spring Greeting

This cycle includes such holidays as "Maslenitsa", "Vialikdzen'" (Easter), "Yur'ya" and others.Each celebration is characterized by specific cycles of  "vesnavyia" (spring) songs. The most ancient celebration is "Yur'ia". Yur'ia is in fact christianized name for pagan God-Sun - Yaryla. 

The typical ritual on Yur'ia (reflected in "yur'iauskiia" songs is calling for Yaryla (Yur'ya), the Sun-God, to bring out the keys and open his mothers (Earth, Nature) womb - to let out the grass, and flowers, and animals. As usual these holidays are also celebrated by specific ritual food - eggs (symbol of life in most of indo-european cultures), pancakes (circle is an important magical shape - it depicts sun).

One more folk festive of pagan origin is Maslenitsa. It is a ceremony at the junction of two seasons; it sees off winter and meets spring. Popular festivals of folk music is organized at the time of Maslenitsa. People sing traditional songs and dance in the streets wearing national costumes. But the distinguishing feature of this holiday is, of course, pancakes!

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"Yurievsky Karagod": for the wealth of the earth.

Annually in the village of Pogost people held the ancient rite "Yurievsky Karagod", which was the first in Belarus to receive the status of an immaterial historical and cultural value of national importance in 2005. The word "Karagod" consists of two bases: "karv" (bull) and "vadzits" (conduct). The bull is a sacrificial animal, which the ancient inhabitants of the earth brought as a gift to the solar deity.

History and Culture Museum-Reserve Zaslavl

Zaslavl is one of the most ancient Belarusian towns. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 1127. However, it was founded much earlier.

The Medieval Festival "The White Caste"

The spectators can admire performances in costume, combats of knights and ancient music.