News & Events in Belarus

Lukashenko highlights importance of Dazhynki festival

On 8 September 1996, the first national festival-fair of rural toilers Dazhynki was held in Stolin. The president congratulated agricultural workers on their achievements and presented the deserved awards. This is how the tradition of honoring farmers and celebrating the end of the harvest time sprang up in sovereign Belarus. In this episode of BelTA’s YouTube project “After the Fact: Lukashenko’s Decisions” we will tell you how host cities are transforming thanks to Dazhynki. How has the festival become a signature brand of Belarus? What, according to the president, characterizes advanced economies?

How did Belarusians celebrate the harvest festival in old times?

Belarusians have celebrated the end of harvest since ancient times. The cerebration was called Bagach. Every region of the country celebrated it according to its own traditions. But there was one thing in common: a sheaf of ears. It was placed in the icon corner of a house. It was kept until the next harvest. Belarus even issued a commemorative coin to celebrate this folk holiday. Today you can see the ritual ceremonies in the Dudutki museum and in the Belarusian State Museum of Vernacular Architecture and Way of Life in Ozertso. Dazhynki, in fact, has become a modern autumn harvest festival. With its own traditions and approaches.

Dazhynki is, figuratively speaking, the finest hour for farmers. And a good holiday for people. We inherited the tradition of celebrating the end of harvest from our ancestors. The profession of a grain farmer has been revered in our land in all times. People's idea of a prosperous life is expressed in wise expressions “bread is the head of everything” “where there is bread, there are songs”. This holiday is important for us. It is a tribute to our ancestors, and an opportunity to thank everyone who works tirelessly in the fields. There is another thing about this festival: its host cities become more beautiful,” the head of state said at the Dazhynki harvest festival in Molodechno in 2011.

Molodechno hosts Dazhynki in 2011

The cities that host Dazhynki indeed get large-scale makeovers. In 2011, the national festival was held in Molodechno. In order to deliver a high-quality holiday, the local authorities studied the experience of Lida where Dazhynki was held a year before. It was important to understand what to focus on, what to pay attention to.

“Molodechno residents are very fond of the water reservoirs that have been made in the park. At that time, we were thinking about how to do it – one pond or two. Fountains are also a favorite spot,” said Chairwoman of the Molodechno District Council of Deputies Lyudmila Kananovich.

A kindergarten, an amphitheater and a sports and entertainment center were opened in Molodechno in 2011.

“Our ice palace is the center of attraction for residents of Molodechno District. It is a landmark facility for us. It has an ice arena, a swimming pool, outdoor sports grounds, and a bowling alley. Local residents love it. The amphitheater was also a long-awaited facility, because Molodechno hosts an annual song and poetry festival, which is a a cultural brand of the district,” Lyudmila Kananovich said.

Facilities built for Dazhynki

Thirteen years after commissioning, they still play an important role in the community life. For example, the concert hall of the amphitheater is 300m2 big. In the summer, concerts are held there every Sunday, and sometimes more often.

“The Molodechno festival is an annual showcase event for Belarusian song and poetry. It draws performers of various music genres. This festival is one of the highlights of the Belarusian cultural life. Belarusian artists never hesitate to accept invitations to perform in our amphitheater. We are proud to have hosted Russian pop stars like Mikhail Shufutinsky, Nadezhda Kadysheva, Ani Lorak, and Grigory Leps,” said Margarita Shityko, Deputy Director of the Molodechno Community Center.

More than 400 children attend sports clubs at the sports and entertainment center. They play basketball, volleyball, tennis and take swimming lessons

“A total of 110 kids do basketball, 147 play volleyball and 170 learn how to swim. Our facilities are also available to the general public, including an ice rink, a swimming pool with an aqua park, a dry steam bath, as well as a gym. We hold competitions in futsal, basketball, volleyball and basketball,” said Maria Klemyatich, Deputy Director of the Olympic Reserve Sports School “Olympic 2011”.

The local pediatric hospital was renovated and fitted with new equipment. The president visited it during the Dazhynki festival. By the way, next year this healthcare facility will mark its 70^th anniversary.

“The most important outcome of the renovation effort is that mothers got an opportunity to stay with their children in the hospital. This is very important. I remember very well what the president wished the medical staff - to take a good care of what they have. This is such a good message,” Lyudmila Kananovich said.

Reason for changing Dazhynki format

In 2014, a decision was made to change the format of Dazhynki. The national harvest festival used to be held at the onset of autumn. Thus, when celebrating the best agricultural workers, only the results of grain harvesting were taken into account as some important crops were still unharvested. It was later decided to hold Dazhynki in agro-towns and district centers. This allowed putting to rights as many population centers as possible.

“I look at these guys - humble combine operators. 33°C outside ... And they are in this scorching heat, harvesting this grain, I feel really bad for them. Today or tomorrow we will finish harvesting grain crops. These people need to be rewarded,” the president said in August 2022.

“We will support our guys during the harvesting period. They are doing a great job,” the Belarusian leader remarked.

He recalled that the country stopped holding Dazhynki at the level of the president and awarding everyone at one place. Now each region chooses a district, and each district chooses an agricultural enterprise to host this festival. “This allows sprucing up two dozen localities in the run-up to the festival. This was my plan. Look at our district centers; these are neat and clean towns,” he noted.

Tractor driver Aleksandr Stefanovich has been working in the agricultural industry for ten years. He has been delivering best performance for the past four years. After the army service he decided to stay in his village. Although he could have moved to a city which was only 20km away. Aleksandr Stefanovich is modest and does not like boasting about his labor achievements.

“We have already got used to it. It is a usual thing! I have taken part in the district Dazhynki. Last year I participated in the regional harvest festival. There is a certain competitive spirit during the harvest season,” Aleksandr Stefanovich said.

What Lukashenko calls one of priorities of state policy

Every year the food security issue becomes more and more urgent and acute. On the one hand, natural disasters such as frosts, floods, and storms are to blame. On the other hand – it is sanctions wars that make things worse. Ordinary people become hostages of economic pressures.

“Food security is a cornerstone of independence of the state. The recent events attest that this is true. Food is acquiring an increasingly strategic status. The stability of the state and the wellbeing of the people depend on its availability, first of all. I want to say it openly: dignity of a nation, self-respect, real sovereignty of a country are unthinkable without food security. World practice shows that well-developed and efficient agriculture is an integral part of advanced economies. Not a single country can be billed as successful if its agrarian sector is weak,” the Belarusian leader said at the Dazhynki 2011 harvest festival in Molodechno.

This year Aleksandr Lukashenko took part in the Dazhynki 2024 harvest festival award ceremony. The president stressed that it was the right decision to identify food security as a priority of the state policy. Today Belarus can not only meet the needs of the domestic market, but also increase food sales overseas. One could only dream of such a thing in the 1990s.

“Our food products are known well and loved far beyond the borders of Belarus. I can tell you more. In conditions of unprecedented illegal fascist sanctions that have been enforced against our state over the last few years it is the agricultural export that allowed other branches of the economy to adapt to the new situation and find new target markets,” the president said at the Dazhynki 2024 harvest festival in Mikashevichi.

“We did our best and awarded the right to host the festival to different cities, gradually beautifying our district and regional centers. The festival became a nationwide project. The efforts evolved into a large-scale government program later on. We built agro-towns and modern dairy complexes. But essentially the countryside revival began with the Dazhynki festival. Indeed, we criticize ourselves a lot and rightly so. But we do have something to be proud of,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

The labor of one agricultural worker provides up to ten more jobs in related industries. Everything starts with the countryside. With those who are ready to get up at four in the morning to deliver fresh milk to the city stores. With those who go out into the field at dawn so that we all have hot bread on our tables.

Today it is no longer a question of “saving” the countryside. A lot has been done to improve living conditions in rural communities. We just need to preserve and multiply everything that has been achieved so far.