Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 19 December (BelTA) – The inclusion of the Budslau Fest into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is a milestone event for Belarus in 2018, Metropolitan of Minsk and Mogilev, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said, BelTA has learned.

“The inclusion of the Budslau Fest into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is an honor for the Roman-Catholic Church. It is a big event for Belarus which becomes more recognizable worldwide thanks to this decision,” said Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz.

The Budslau fest is traditionally held in early July. The annual event brings together more than 30,000 people. “The Budslau fest is not only a celebration for Catholics. Orthodox believers also take part in it. The fest is growing into a national event,” Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz said.

During the 13th session the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage unanimously supported the decision to inscribe “Celebration in Honor of the Budslau Icon of Our Lady (Budslau Fest) on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” the press service informed. The session of the committee was held in Port Louis, Mauritius.

The Budslau Fest is one of the symbols of the national identity of Belarusians. It celebrates respect and friendship between people from all walks of life regardless of their religious beliefs, social status and gender. The inclusion of the Budslau Fest in the UNESCO list was the result of many years of work of the Commission of the Republic of Belarus for UNESCO, the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with active involvement of local authorities, NGOs and the expert community.

In 2009, the unique Belarusian rite of the Kolyady Tsars, which is performed only in the village of Semezhevo (Kopyl District, Minsk Oblast), was added to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2018 Belarus submitted another file for the inclusion in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. That was the ancient rite Yurievsky Khorovod (Yuriev Round Dance). The decision on this file is to be made in December 2019.