THE DAY OF EMBROIDERY. WE REMEMBER OUR NAME
NATIONAL TALISMAN.
On the second of July the attention of the inhabitants and the guests of our district was paid to the Day of embroidery. BRSM has been organizing this young national holiday for the third year.
The history of Belarusian embroidery began thousands years ago, as long ago as before Christian times. The traditional Belarusian ornament is a special talisman which had to protect man from evil with the help of symbols. It’s not surprising that such elements of clothes as collar, hem, sleeve, all the places where evil spirits could get were decorated with it, - said the members of BRSM while tying magic ribbons to the inhabitants of Voronovo.
The colours of the embroidery stay unchangeable: white – purity, red – the sun, blood and life itself. More often geometric motives were used in the ornament, and simple symbols were made from them: the sun, rain, fire , a child. Each of them has its own magic sense. “The sun” was considered to give strength and harvest, “thunder” protect from evil eyes, “child” protect babies from unhappiness and troubles. The goat with thick lips symbolize wealth and diligence. We won’t find any symbols of trouble, war and death among Belarusian magic signs – the Belarusians have never wished harm to anybody.
Nowadays the national ornament is becoming more and more popular, it is used in design of clothes, interior, things of everyday life for people of all ages. The thematic addition of the holiday has become an exhibition “Selfie and photo in embroidery” and defile in national suits “Patterns dear to heart”. All the people who wished could decorate their faces with folk pictures. There was also aqua make-up in folk style.
HAIRDRESSERS
Plaits and braids have become the leading fashionable trend for many seasons among hair styles. And what can be more beautiful if it is decorated with a ribbon with a Belarusian ornament? Not only girls with long silky hair but also boys took part in the contest “Belarusian plait” in the centre of culture in Benyakoni. Sergey Timafeev even competed in ability to create a romantic image. The boy was a success to show a classical plait from hair. Alena Buynovskaya is a real professional. She spent half an hour on the hair style, really she had golden hands. The spectators couldn’t pick out the winner – the models Darya Svetlovich and Victoria Buynovskaya were too beautiful.
STRAW SPIDER IS MAGIC OF YOUR HANDS
Things and applications from straw have become a visiting card of our country for many years. It’s a wonderful phenomenon of modern handicraft and pride of the Belarusians. These kinds of handicraft rapidly developed in the second part of the 20th century. But now they are still popular and have their admirers.
Master-class which was organized in Konvelishki on the Day of embroidery acquainted young people with peculiarities of work with straw. Coworkers of the centre of culture and the library try to prepare for the holidays together – so the holidays become interesting, colourful and useful, of course. That day the youth took lessons from the librarian Tatyana Stefanovna Sinitskaya with great pleasure. The sounds of the authentic Belarusian language, appropriate interior, fire in the eyes of the performer – and the attention of the audience is won. Do you know what time is suitable for picking up straw for braiding, so that it would be of different colour, how to prepare the material correctly, different intricacy in wicker-work, for example “spider”, women’s decorations, talismans? Address to Tatyana Stefanovna, believe me, nobody will tell you better.
Galina Shlempa
Translated by Zinaida Tserpitskaya
