Belarusian customs and traditions characterize Belarusians and their attitude to ancestors. It’s natural when a nation respects the traditions of the past and the people are proud of their cultural heritage.
Throughout many centuries of history, the Belarusian people created their unique and original culture. Traditional folk customs and rites harmoniously interlace with Christian traditions.
Christians make up the biggest part of the population of Belarus. According to the Christian doctrine, Christmas and Easter are the main religious holidays, annually celebrated by millions of believers all over the country. In Belarus, all the Christian holidays are celebrated twice: by the Catholic and Orthodox religious calendars. Speaking about Belarusian customs and traditions, I’d like to mention that though most Belarusians follow the traditions of Christianity, a lot in the culture of my country is from pagan beliefs. So, alongside with Easter or Christmas we celebrate Maslenitsa, Kupalle, Kolyady and Dozhynki.
Kupalle and Maslenitsa are widely celebrated in Belarus. Folk games and traditional ceremonies are part of them. Maslenitsa is a ceremony which sees off winter and meets spring. Popular festivals of folk music, dancing and national costumes are organized at the time of Maslenitsa.
The Belarusian people are proud of the country’s past and its traditional culture. Every summer, in Belarusian castles (in Lida, Mir, Novogrudok, Nesvizh, etc.) knights’ tournaments and international medieval festivals take place. They attract spectators and participants from many countries of the world.
Belarusian people celebrate a lot of holidays but only 8 of them are official days when people don’t work. They are New Year’s Day, Christmas (both Orthodox and Catholic), the 8th of March, Radunitsa, Labour Day, Victory Day, Independence Day and the 7th of November (October Revolution Day).
The list of Belarusian holidays is rather long. There are national and religious, family and professional holidays. There are also memorable dates, such as April,26 and June,22.
My favourite holiday is New Year’s Day. I can’t say that my family celebrates it in an unusual way, but the beginning of a new year is always associated with new hopes and new plans and it makes this day special.
