The word inspires

The word

inspires...

On the festive stage today.

Each capital of the Day of Belarusian Written Language is a city where famous figures of Belarusian culture and political figures were born or used to work. This year, the holiday was held in Kopyl – the homeland of over 50 writers and literary critics, scientists. Among them are Tishka Gartny, Kuzma Cherny, Ales Adamovich, Adam Rusak and many others. In the Year of National Unity, the Day of Belarusian Written Language was held under the motto "The Word unites us."

We communicate with each other every day. Sometimes, if there is no interlocutor nearby, we can even say something out loud to ourselves and our furry friends, if there are any nearby. We read and write, speak, sometimes incessantly. But we do not appreciate this sacred gift of nature – to have a command of the word day by day, we do not focus thereon. At a pace of everyday life, in a hurry we shorten words, distort them, invent and use jargon, we are ashamed of a lofty word. We do not listen attentively to its music, to the tonality with which it is pronounced, we also forget that this is the basis on which our speech is built. Just as we forget that without words there would be no phrases, without phrases there would be no sentences, without sentences there would be no texts... Including literary as well as those who become winners on such holidays as 28th Day of Belarusian Written Language. Moreover, it is worth remembering that the primary reason for holding the Day of Belarusian Written Language in 1994 was a deep understanding of the significance of the Word by those people who initiated the birth of this wonderful tradition. It is carried on successfully. The concept of the holiday

BELTA envisages showing the unity of the Belarusian printed word with the history and culture of the Belarusian people, reflecting the historical path of writing and printing in Belarus.

Let's also recall the first events on the occasion of the Day of Belarusian Written Language and Press which took place in Polotsk on August 28. On March 26, 1998, Presidential Decree No. 157 "On State Holidays, Holidays and Memorable Dates in the Republic of Belarus" was adopted, which established that the Day of Belarusian Written Language would be celebrated annually on the first Sunday of September. Since that moment, the forum has been steadily growing and getting support at the highest level.

One of the murals at the post office

Kopyl was refreshed to holiday

Those, who have been awarded the National Literary Prize

Dear friends!

I sincerely greet the guests and participants of the Day of Belarusian Written Language.

This year, in the Year of National Unity, the holiday is held in the beautiful Kopyl district, where many famous Belarusian figures were born.

In the life of the people, literature has always been the most important means of education and learning the world. The works of Maksim Bahdanovich, Ivan Shemyakin, Kondrat Krapiva, Ivan Melezh and other national writers and poets, whose anniversaries will be celebrated during the forum, are an inexhaustible source of national pride.

Thanks to our famous classics and a new generation of talented and patriotic youth, we preserve the historical memory of the Belarusian people, establish in society its main values – honesty, justice, tolerance, respect for a working person and great love for the native land.

A true, responsible and honest native word is the key to the consolidation of society, on the foundation of which we will be able to continue our successful construction of an independent, strong and prosperous country.

I wish all the participants and guests of the holiday good health, creative inspiration, life wisdom and optimism. Alexander Lukashenko

The same as in previous years, the President greeted the participants of the holiday and guests. The text of the greeting was read by the Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko on the day of ceremonial opening of the Day of Written Language. The day before we knew the program of the event. At the press conference dedicated to the celebration, in addition to many details of its program, it was mentioned that Kopyl had been transformed for this significant day. And we saw it. The city had become more beautiful, modern and comfortable. Streets and houses, social infrastructure facilities were brushed up. Besides, a skate-playground and a cinema appeared in the city. Kopyl is now unrecognizable. But what is most important is that these innovations are not just decorations for the holiday, but the infrastructure for a better life for Kopyl residents in the future. After all, Kopyl is one of the most ancient cities in Belarus. It is located among mounds in a hilly area near the southern borders of Minsk region. This year the city is celebrating its 1015th anniversary, besides now the city is also the capital of the regional "Dozhinki".

One of the specialties in Kopyl is themed 3D murals with images of Belarusian writers, talented natives of Kopyl, placed on the post office. And near the district museum of local lore, a monument to Tishka Gartny was erected. The writer became the foretype for the monument "Master leatherworker", because he began his activity in his homeland with the manufacture of leather and no one has ever sculpted the author like this, because since then only one photograph has remained.

The Alley of Writers was arranged in the park. There appeared 17 interactive benches with information about all those writers who were born in Kopyl district. For each object, a unique QR code was made, by scanning which it was possible in Kopyl to get access to the biography of the creator and get acquainted with the works that he/she wrote. The Day of Belarusian Written Language-2021 was full of up-to-dateness and technological breakthroughs. The art installation, like Skaryna letters, scattered from the first printing press across the park in the heart of Kopyl. 17 capital letters from the alphabet are the beginning of

BELTA BELTA

↑ ← Holiday moments

the surnames of famous authors from Kopyl. If one hovers the scanner over a special code, the biography of the entire Alley of Writers will be available on the smartphone.

Another QR journey is the first walking quest "Kopyl Horn". Five kilometers around Kopyl through folk riddles, little-known facts about writers and the history of the city – this was a new interactive event of the holiday. It involved more than fifty participants.

For the most well-read it took almost an hour to overcome eight locations with the tasks. One could find own heroic ancestor in several clicks. The names of almost 173 thousand partisans and undergrounders of the Great Patriotic War are immortalized in the virtual memory book, and every day the base is replenished with new heroes.

Special attention was paid to the central square, where the main festivities took place during the holiday. The central platform "Unity" was designed in accordance with the given theme – newspapers and magazines of 19211939 were presented on it under the title "September 17 – the Day of National Unity". One of the significant projects that attracted the attention of visitors to the exposition was "September 17 – the Day of National Unity", a new book by Vladimir Likhodedov, laureate of the award of the President of the Republic of Belarus "For Spiritual Revival", which the author presented to the audience.

The central event of the celebration of the Day of Belarusian Written Language was, of course, the presentation of the National Literary Prize. The celebration took place on the stage of the main city square. At the opening of the festival of the native word, congratulations flew even from space. Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, who was at the space station that day, addressed us with congratulations. There were also greetings from the chairperson of Minsk Region Executive Committee Alexander Turchin, who, by the way, said that the Day of Written Language should become the starting point for the development of the tourist potential of Kopyl. The audience was also greeted by the Minister of Information of Belarus Vladimir Pertsov and Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl Benjamin. LCD screens were installed near the stage, which broadcast the Milky Way and spreading oak trees, which Belarus is so rich in. And it was an impressive sight.

The awards were presented to the laureates by Vladimir Pertsov and member of the National Assembly Council of the Republic, Chairperson of the Union of Writers of Belarus Nikolai Cherginets. The prize was awarded in six nominations. The winner in the nomination "The Best Poetry Work (Collection of Works)" was Viktor Shnip, the author of the collection "White, Black and Gold", and Viktor Pravdin received the award in the nomination "The Best Prose Work" for the book "Paris, Eiffel Tower and..."

The book by Ales Karlyukevich "Pukhovichi area. Literary Nest of Belarus" won in the nomination of literary criticism and literary studies. The books "Discrete Approach to Observation of Life", "My Physics and Mathematics" (series "Lyusterka Lesu") by Aleksandr Radkov became the best publicistic works. In the nomination "Best Work for Children and Youth", the winner was the book by poetess Valentina Palikanina "Kindness is Stronger than All". By the way, at one time Valentina Polikanina worked for our magazine and prepared worthy journalistic materials. Ekaterina Stroylova became the best in the nomination "Best Debut" with the book "Towards Love". "Every year new talented writers and fascinating works appear in Belarus, which is the best indicator that Belarusian literature is alive. Today's holiday is a kind of literary Dozhinki, during which authors and their best works are recollected and honored. We have people to be proud of," – said Nikolai Cherginets. By the way, he also had a benefit event at the celebration, where those present learned that the writer's works had been translated into 20 languages of the world with a total circulation of 7 million copies.

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Honored Artist of Belarus Tamara Mironova and People's Artist of the USSR Gennady Ovsyannikov on the festive stage

Near the monument "Master leatherworker"

More information about famous fellow countrymen via QR code

And here is what Viktor Shnip said: "I wrote the first works at the age of 17, next year I will be forty-five as an author. The then-I and the present one are completely different people, but love for the native country, joy for it and pain because of the events taking place therein have always remained central themes. A poet, after all, always lives with those thoughts and goals that excite other residents of the country, therefore, probably, my works resonate with the audience. I am glad that I received such an award, this is a very high assessment of my skill, recognition of me as an author at the country level."

By the way, the National Literary Prize was established in 2015. The organizers of the competition are the ministries of information, culture, education and the Union of Writers of Belarus.

The Day of Written Language started at 8.30 am with a festive service, lighting the sacred fire in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord and transferring it to the icon lamps and candles of the parishioners. After it the participants of the republican scientific and educational expedition "The Road to Shrines" started the procession with the Holy Fire from the Holy Sepulcher.

Of course, we were not able to visit all the places where different events were taking place. After all, the scope of the festival was huge. It seemed that the venues stretched across the city. Each of them was crowded with the townspeople and guests of Kopyl (details of the thematic sites can be found on the website www.belta.by). For example, in the park area near Kopyl Art School, the Literary Café area was opened, where one could listen to both songs and poems of all those creative people who wished to express themselves. On the Market Square, a stage area "People's Talents of Minsk Region" was opened, where amateur performers delighted the guests with their talents. There was also a presentation of the brands of Kopyl district, among them a tradition of weaving towels, which has the status of an intangible cultural heritage of Belarus. And in the park between the registry office and the museum there was an exhibition of products by masters of folk art crafts "Craftsman's Gift". The recreation area was equipped with a playground "With play through the ages" which involved the spectators in Belarusian folk games, as well as a pavilion with interactive expositions of children's libraries of Minsk region. On Zhilunovich Street, the guests of the holiday were awaited by a thematic platform dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. A literary and historical gallery was also established there which contained creative photo zones and installations, art projects, impromptu, master classes, and quizzes. In the afternoon, Lavy battle was reconstructed in the recreation area. It took place in December 1942, when German troops launched an offensive against Kliment Voroshilov brigade. It was decided to transfer one of the partisan detachments under the command of Vikenty Drozdovich to defensive positions. The entire group died in an unequal battle. At the cost of their lives, the young partisans made it possible to evacuate the hospital and repel a sudden attack by the punishers on civilians. The district festival of game and humor "Kopyl Fun" was held nearby throughout the day, and a thematic humorous exhibition of works of arts and crafts of Minsk region pleased the eye.

Sports grounds were also established in the festive city, where competitions in mini-football, football and competitions in rifle shooting and darts were held, and a festival of youth workout teams and a streetball tournament took place on the site in Maksim Gorky Street.

The ceremonial closing of the 28th Day of Belarusian Written Language took place on the main stage.

The festival of books and press "worked" during the holiday. It included thematic expositions, presentations and interactive platforms. Thus, in the pavilion "Memory" an exhibition of a historical book was opened, meetings with authors and scientists were held, the project "Partisans of Belarus" of the publishing house "Belarus Today" was presented. An exposition of literature for children and adolescents, meetings with authors, master classes, quizzes and games were organized on a platform called "We grow with the book".

Books about the traditions and customs of Belarus and an exposition of traditional folk costumes from the districts of the capital region could be found in the pavilion "Traditions and Modernity". There one could also take part in an authentic wedding ritual and watch the Tsars rite, which is included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. An exhibition of books about Belarusian cuisine and food, meetings and master classes with authors of culinary books, tasting of dishes cooked according to the Belarusian cookery books’ recipes took place at the site "Taste the History of Belarus".

The ceremonial closing of the 28th Day of Belarusian Written Language took place on the main stage. It was not an ordinary concert, but a creative action which presented soundtracks based on Belarusian books. It was not just a song performance, but a combination of literary works and concert.

Kopyl has passed the baton of the Day of Written Language to Dobrush. Next year, the holiday will go to Gomel region. And although this fest will be remembered for its digitalization and modernity, many traditional paper books were sold during the event, because the Internet cannot replace a new cover and the smell of printing ink on the pages. In addition, there is a special magic in turning over the pages of a book. Inga Likhtarovich