Фота: ekskursii.by.
The Braslau District Executive Committee has canceled the decision on organizing and holding the International Festival of Traditional Culture “Braslauskija Zarnitsy.” This effectively means the closure of one of Belarus’s oldest cultural brands.
The document abolishing the festival’s legal basis was adopted on March 11 and published yesterday, April 16, on the National Legal Portal, as noted by “Radio Svaboda”. The decision was signed by District Executive Committee Chairman Viachaslau Hryshchanka and approved by the Ministry of Culture.
Along with the main festival, the popular medieval culture festival “Brachyslav’s Sword,” which had become a hallmark of the region, is also being canceled.
The International Festival of Traditional Culture “Braslauskija Zarnitsy” had existed since 1967. Initially, the event was conceived as a celebration of songs, dances, and traditional crafts of the Belarusian Lake District. In 2009, however, it received official international status, and until 2020 its regular participants included groups from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Ukraine, and Russia. Braslau became a center of “people’s diplomacy,” where Latvia’s Daugavpils and Lithuania’s Panevėžys presented their cultures every year.
The festival’s main attraction was the performance of a combined choir on Mount Mayak or on the shore of Lake Dryviaty. In peak years, the number of participants reached 800–1,000 people. It was considered the Belarusian equivalent of the famous Baltic Song Festivals.
Since 2012, the medieval culture festival “Brachyslav’s Sword” had become an integral part of “Braslauskija Zarnitsy.” Knight camps were set up on Castle Hill, battles and nighttime fire shows were held, attracting full crowds. Dozens of reenactment clubs from different countries took part. The festival combined the spirit of the Middle Ages with authenticity.
For Braslau, this was not just an event but a real occasion that gave local residents an opportunity to earn extra income. In the past, locals often wrote on forums that “Zarnitsy” was the only time of the year when the town “woke up” and became the center of Europe.
Officially, no reasons for the cancellation have been given, but experts link it to the “optimization” of the cultural sector. In conditions of isolation, the festival’s international status had become nominal, while large-scale choir and reenactment events required significant expenses that the state no longer considers worthwhile for supporting local brands. The festival survived many historical eras but did not withstand Belarus’s current cultural policy.
This year, “Braslauskija Zarnitsy” had been scheduled for May 22–24.