Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko lights a Christmas candle at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko lit a Christmas candle near the Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk. It is a precious relic of the country's main Orthodox church, a spiritual guardian and protector of Minsk. According to the legend, the city dwellers got it in the summer 1500 when they saw the icon floating along the Svisloch River. The icon is believed to be made by Luke the Evangelist.