Embassy-Supported Holiday Festival Illustrates Belarusian Heritage

The festive ritual Kaliadnyia Tsari (Christmas Tsars)

On January 13 Public Affairs Officer Carrie Lee visited the village of Semezhava in Kopyl District of Minsk region to observe the festive ritual “Kaliadnyja Tsari” (Christmas Tsars) that combines elements of a traditional Belarusian Christmas and New Year carnival. The U.S. Embassy Small Grants Program funded the production of the costumes for the Semezhava “Tsars” in the framework of the project “Community Based Tourism for Conservation, Partnership and Development of Rural Territories” by the Belarusian Association of Agro- and Ecotourism “Country Escape.” Earlier in the day, the association organized a workshop on intangible heritage preservation as a means for social and economic development of local communities. More than 50 experts including scholars, tourism professionals, local officials, representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Sports and Tourism and Belarusian National Commission for UNESCO discussed suggestions on the improvement of national legislation on the preservation of intangible heritage, talked about opportunities for the creation of local tourist products and the importance of increasing awareness about Belarusian immaterial culture. The Christmas Tsars and a festive fair in the village of Semezhava became a colorful and vivid demonstration of local authenticity and intangible culture that may be utilized for promoting the sustainable development of rural territories.