Holiday Fair of Masters

CULTURE The Minsk Times Thursday, March 17, 2011 9 Personal records Holiday fair of masters from Guests from Lithuania and Poland join folk masters and craftsmen from all over ‘Nominal Belarus in Grodno, to celebrate day honouring their patron: Saint Kazimir Lists’ By Piotr Iosifov Vitebsk archive workers Grodno recently hosted are fi rst to introduce its traditional Kazyuki fair for electronic database to the tenth time: a true spring research family trees holiday. Already, it is an im- Researchers and citizens portant event in the culture interested in fi nding out the of our three neighbouring history of their family will nations. fi nd the database useful. In Th e fair dates from four recent years, people’s inter- centuries ago, when it began est in genealogy has grown, as a public holiday, explains so Vitebsk’s archive workers the Deputy Chair of the have decided to signifi cantly Grodno City Executive Com- simplify search methods, ac- mittee, Irina Senchenkova. celerating performance and “Every year, the popularity raising effi ciency. Over the last of our fair grows, as does the fi ve years, the State Archives of number of participants. Ini- the Vitebsk Region has been tially, only a few dozen mas- logging documents relating to ters attended. Th ree years ago, biographical information onto over a hundred came to dem- its ‘Nominal Lists’ electronic onstrate their works and, this database, recording regional year, we welcomed about 200 archives. “Now, archive em- masters from Grodno, Minsk, ployees receiving inquiries on Vitebsk, Gomel, Slonim, Lida, a person can enter the surname Smorgon, Ostrovets and other into the database, immediately cities. We even had Ukrainian receiving the information on guests. Our festival included where the documents related a concert programme, with to this person is kept,” explains songs performed in three Tatiana Svistunova, Director languages: Belarusian, Polish BELTA of the State Archives of the and Lithuanian. For the fi rst Kazyuki exhibition-fair is a bright spring event in Grodno Vitebsk Region. time, the Kruszewo folk mu- place: straw hats and caskets, her carving and wood paint- “It’s vital to fi nd a good idea “I make various pieces from In creating these cata- sic and dance ensemble took wooden barrels and whistles, ing. She brought many in- for later implementation in baked clay and will certainly logues of personal records, part, from Poland’s Podlaskie pictures, embroidered fab- teresting pieces to the fair. wood,” he explains. “Anything come again next year, with some unique documents were Voivodeship.” rics, costume jewellery and “Eight people are employed I make with passion is so pleasure,” Vladimir stresses. found: relating to Ivan Alferov Th e fair usually begins in so much more. A blacksmith at our workshop,” she tells us. much more beloved, so tends Valentina Chichkova, — the father of Nobel Prize the aft ernoon, in Grodno’s beats hot metal with a ham- “All are passionate about art not to be sold. I just showcase from Grodno, brought her winner Zhores Alferov; Be- major square, accompanied mer, watched intently by an and can hardly live without it. these pieces, taking pleasure unusual collection of dolls, larusian composer Mikhail by the stroke of ancient chimes audience; his creations can Th ey are always delighted to in sharing their beauty.” which she speaks of with Antsev; famous entomologist from Farny Roman Catholic then be bought as souvenirs. take part in Kazyuki.” Minsk craft sman a smile. “I’ve mustn’t have Vladimir Plyushchik-Plyush- Church. People fl ock to the Among the most amazing are Sergey Bondarenko, Vladimir Kudritsky always played with enough dolls in chevsky; and fairy-tale writer stalls, searching for presents his forged roses. from Smorgon, also brought attends the Grodno fair and childhood, so I sew them Grigory Shakulov. Th ey are among the multitude of won- Galina Buzun, from the wonderful wooden pieces; has been working with ce- now. It gives me pleasure and to be used to conduct further derful craft s. It’s rare to see so Grodno Region’s Slonim, he has his own workshop ramics since childhood. He I hope that those who buy my research. many handmade items in one aroused much interest with and worked hard all winter. even has his own workshop. dolls are also delighted.” Abundance of cultural events Graffiti from the past Th e event will show dolls created by Anna Balash, Nine century old and graffi ti in the 1990s and, scriptions is thought to be a and photos by Irena Gudi- inscriptions preserved on since 2006, a team of artists nun by the name of Silyavi- evskaya. church walls of Convent and restorers have been in- na, a widow from the famous Ms. Balash is an acknowl- of the Saviour and St. volved, headed by Vladimir boyar Silyav family. In me- edged master in creating Yevfrosiniya in Polotsk Sarabiyanov. dieval times, widows from dolls, giving each one its own Polotsk is a unique city, Th e triangular altar and noble families would oft en individuality, name and heart as proven by its 12th-17th cell of St. Yevfrosiniya have retire to a convent upon the (made from fabric or card- century graffi ti. Researchers been completely cleared, death of the head of their board). Her dolls are made knew about the inscriptions with around a hundred graf- family, aft er their children from ceramic and fabric and on the walls of the Saviour fi ti inscriptions disclosed; had fully grown. wear original costumes and Two chronicle inscrip- dresses. Th ese are supple- tions, founded on the altar, mented by amazing shots by tell us that the church kept GIL VITALY photographer Irena Gudi- records from year to year. Anna Balash’s dolls stand out for their individuality evskaya, depicting spring Th e fi rst inscription notes Author’s dolls and photos held in Gomel this year, since fl owers and nature, as well as the death of the Polish King on show at Spring Trip the town has been named famous Belarusian women: and Grand Duke of Lithua- exhibition in Gomel Cultural Capital of Belarus sport and pop stars, promi- nia, Casimir, in 1492; it goes Th is exhibition is one of 2011 and Cultural Capital of nent TV celebrities and cul- on to tell of the accession to many cultural events being the Commonwealth 2011. tural fi gures of Belarus. the throne of his son, Alex- ander, and his visit to Polotsk in 1497. Th e second inscrip- Nastya to sing in Düsseldorf tion, recently uncovered, BELTA describes the death of three By Oleg Klimov From 22 entrants, our seldorf will be welcoming par- Inscriptions discovered during restoration work members of the Vasilievich country is to be presented by 20 ticipants of the 56th pop music Transfi guration Church they are now being analysed boyar family in 1492 — one As promised, by March year old Minsk State Linguistic tournament. Our Nastya will back in the 19th century. and a book on them is to be of the oldest branches of Pol- 1st, a focus group compris- University student Anastasia face last year’s triumphant Lena However, these were covered released this autumn. Along- otsk’s ancient Korsak family. ing representatives from Vinnikova. Th e authors of the Meyer-Landrut of Germany by paintings. It was only on side the usual forms of graffi - Polotsk’s graffi ti is a true the First TV Channel, ONT, winning Born in Bielorussia and Moldovan Zdob si Zdub, clearing them that the graf- ti, there are some scrawlings revelation for historians, al- STV and Lad determined are composer Yevgeny Oleinik, trying to win the competition’s fi ti reappeared. Restorer of a household nature, while lowing them to make up for the Belarusian participant producer of the Aura band, and major award for the second Vladimir Rakitsky began re- others chronicle events. Th e the lack of written sources for the International Eurovi- Dali’s leader, Victor Rudenko. time. Mika Newton is to repre- vealing the ancient frescoes author of at least three in- on the history of Belarus. sion-2011 Song Contest. From May 10th-14th, Düs- sent Ukraine..

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