Call of Polesie international ethnic festival

Over 3,000 people from Belarus and abroad flocked to the agro-town of Lyaskovichi, Petrikov District, to take part in the anniversary edition of the international ethnic festival Call of Polesie on 22 September. This unique ethnic forum celebrating the indigenous culture of the Poleshuk people came into being five years ago. The festival takes place in the ‘craddle’ of Pripyat Polesie, on the bank of the Pripyat River, the biggest tributary of the Dnieper River. 

Pripyat Polesie is a unique area which residents have preserved their authentic culture, traditions, rites and crafts. Preserving and promoting this heritage is the purpose of the Call of Polesie international ethnic festival. Taking part in the festival this year were performers from Belarus (eight districts of Gomel Oblast and three districts of Brest Oblast), Russia, Ukraine, as well as Latvia, Poland, India and China.

Visitors to the festival could hear a folk music concert, buy products made by local artisans and take part in master classes in traditional crafts and ancient dancing, and of course try dishes of the national cuisine… Apart from that, visitors were invited to explore the cultural heritage of the Poleshuks: local villagers staged a theatrical performance to present legends of their native land.

In line with a tradition, a ceremony to honor local best-achievers took place during the forum. The Honored Poleshuk title and a statuette went to head of the amateur folk group Vytinanka Piotr Ostapchuk and the famous Belarusian sprint canoeist, Olympic champion and seven-time world champion Roman Petrushenko. In the evening the jury chose winner of the Polesie Beauty 2018 pageant. The title went to 19-year old student of the Minsk State Linguistic University Yulia Gerasimenko from Petrikov.

Best moments of the Call of Polesie 2018 ethnic festival in our special report from Lyaskovichi!