Unique Belarusian award For Spiritual Revival, special prizes of the Belarus president and Belarusian Sport Olympus: Outstanding Belarusians are awarded for the year 2017 accomplishments
What can be used as a measuring stick to gauge the spiritual potential of a nation or a state? How can one preserve and augment the historical and cultural legacy of Belarus at present? In 1997 the unique award For Spiritual Revival was instituted in 1997, exactly 20 years ago, to take care of that. Its laureates include priests, people of culture and art, reporters, scientists, education specialists, healthcare and social security professionals, authors, and art collectives.
Following the established tradition, the solemn ceremony is held in light days of Christmas. On 9 January the Palace of the Republic welcomed outstanding Belarusians from all over the country. Thanks to their professionalism and hard work they received For Spiritual Revival awards, the Belarus president’s special prizes for people of culture and art, and the Belarus president’s special prizes Belarusian Sport Olympus.
In his welcome address Alexander Lukashenko noted that the Belarusian nation has inherited great spiritual heritage, which manifests itself “in the examples of the righteous life of the Belarusian saints, in great creations of the poets, artists, musicians and architects who were born on our land.” The head of state called for pooling efforts for the sake of reinforcing the moral standards of the society, Christian values, and traditional family standards in addition to preserving and augmenting Belarus’ cultural legacy.
After that the laureates were invited to go onto the stage and get their awards and prizes in front of thousands of guests in the Palace of the Republic and TV viewers. For the year 2017 accomplishments the famous award For Spiritual Revival went to five laureates: the public association Belarusian Union of Women, employees of the National Library of Belarus and the N.N. Aleksandrov National Oncology and Medical Radiology Center, the senior priest of the Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk Church parish in the town of Ivenets, Volozhin District, Minsk Oblast, archpriest Viktor Peregudov, the Mufti of the Islamic Religious Association in the Republic of Belarus Abu-Bekir Shabanovich.
Special prizes of the Belarus president went to professionals of the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company, the Belarusian State Arts Academy, the Belarusian National Drama Theater, the concert organization agency Minskconcert, the Belarusian State Music Academy, the postal stamp publishing center of the Belarusian postal service operator Belpochta, the Oktyabrsky District Arts and Crafts Center, the Lida District Culture and Amateur Art Center, Deputy Director of the National History and Culture Museum-Reserve Nesvizh Sergei Yegoreichenko, and the prominent painter Valery Slauk.
The head of state also congratulated winners of the Belarusian Sport Olympus awards: the chief coach of the national trampolining team Olga Vlasova, who had worked with the Rio 2016 Olympics champion Vladislav Goncharov, the famous TV host, sport commentator, and an Honored Cultural Worker Vladimir Novitsky, and a member of the national track and field athletics team Violetta Skvortsova.
What do the most outstanding Belarusians of the year 2017 look like? Interesting moments of the award ceremony and emotions of the laureates are covered by the photo report.
