Orshans at the regional "Harvest" in Chashniki
The residents of Orsha represented our region with dignity at the regional "Dazhynki" in Chashniki not only in the grain harvesting competition, taking second place among the districts, but also by presenting the traditions and rituals of the Orsha region, its flax and cultural potential.
The Orsha courtyard was one of the largest and most cheerful. Music and dancing did not stop for a minute.
Employees of the district Culture Center presented a platform for traditional flax processing. They showed how our ancestors used hand tools to obtain yarn from flax stalks, which was then woven into finished products. The treats from the national cuisine club "Lisunovskie prysmaki" of the Lisunov Village Culture House were also very popular. Traditional Belarusian dishes: knyshi, skovorodnik, and many others sparked genuine interest among the festival guests.
The Orsha House of Crafts presented an exhibition of rare headwear that our ancestors wore several centuries ago. There were cartuz, ablavykha, papakha, magherka, yarmolka – there was so much variety. All these ancient men's headwear are studied and made in the workshop "Kartuzarshy".
The folk ensemble "Gaharynskiya muzyki" not only presented the interregional festival of harmonica "Gaharynskie sutry", which has been held for five years in the agrotown Ustye of the Orsha district, but also performed popular songs all day long, to which the festival guests danced energetically.
No one could pass by the fragrant pancakes and scrambled eggs that were prepared right on the log by the employees of the Culture House of the urban settlement Orekhovsk.
The Orsha district courtyard was visited by honored guests led by the chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Subbotin. They got acquainted with the platform and participated in an ancient ritual. They were invited to chop cabbage in the old-fashioned way, as our ancestors did. By the way, the trough in which the cabbage was chopped is over 60 years old!
The trade rows stretched for several kilometers. Enterprises of the Vitebsk region attracted festival guests not only with their products but also with entertainment and the decoration of their platforms. Each one was a small work of art. Products could not only be purchased but also tasted. There was everything here: Deepka condensed milk with various flavors, Pastavy cheeses, milk products from Lepel MKK, fresh fruits and vegetables, and much more.
As always, the platform of the Orsha meat processing plant was widely represented. The residents of Orsha surprise with their originality every time. This time at the "Dazhynki" they accurately made a model of the KZS-1218 combine harvester out of lard! And the tasting of new meat products, long known and loved by customers, left no one indifferent.
It was crowded on the platforms of educational institutions of the Orsha district. The Orsha State College of Textile Workers named after G. V. Semyonov presented a linen clothing collection, hand-embroidered.
At the food college platform, master classes were held on decorating confectionery products, as well as on preparing shawarma, pancakes, and meat dishes.
Students of the mechanical and economic college conducted master classes on blacksmithing and interactive games with children. In addition, the platform featured computer-controlled machines used in training, and an exhibition of medieval artifacts from the historical reconstruction club "Rostan" of the urban settlement Bolbasovo was organized.
Agricultural and polytechnic colleges also presented their products and goods.
Olga TIKHONOVA.
Photo by the author.