Outstanding People of Belarus

Belarus is a talented nation. At the dawn of its formation the Belarusian nation produced such outstanding people as the writer and orator of the 12th century Cyril Turovsky and the representative of the Enlightenment¹ Symon Budny. Among those who made the greatest contribution to the devel­opment of Belarusian culture and science is Francisk Scoryna. His activities in literature, law, medicine and book- printing gave a powerful impulse to the development of all Slavonic nations.

Belarusian poets and writers Ya. Kolas, Ya. Kupala, V. Korotkevich, I. Melezh, V. Bykov do not only belong to the outstanding people of our country, but their names are also well-known outside Belarus.

The greatest figure in Belarusian painting of the 19th cen­tury was the portrait and still life² painter Ivan Khrutsky (1810-1885). The Portrait of the Artist's Son, where the boy is shown holding a basket of grapes, and the still life Game, Vegetables and Mushrooms represent the work of this promi­nent master of the Belarusian domestic scene in the National Art Museum.

One of the leading landscape and genre ['за:дг] artists of the 19th century was Napoleon Orda (1807-1883) who left an impressive heritage of lithographs³ depicting ancient country churches, castles and mansions⁴.

Another native of Belarus, Apolinary Garoutsky (1833-1900), travelled abroad and achieved international fame, exhibiting his works in Paris, Brussels ['brAslz] and St. Petersburg. He is particularly remembered for his landscapes of the River Svisloch and the countryside around Minsk. There are many examples of talented natives of Belarus who lived here or went abroad and contributed a lot to the culture, econ­omy and science of other countries.

The world famous artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) was born in Belarus and started his artistic career here. The world famous The Black Square by the Belarusian artist K. Malevich (1878-1935), who, like Marc Chagall, represented the brilliant Vitebsk school of art, is on display in the Tate Gallery in London.

The impressionist school in painting is represented by an outstanding landscape artist of the first half of the 20th centu­ry Vitovt Belynytsky-Birulya (1870-1957). His works are now on display in Mogilev.

Many talented artists are to be mentioned among the repre­sentatives of "socialist realism". In the second half of the 20th century M. Savitsky (b.1922) played a leading role in Belarusian art. His painting Partisan Madonna, the portrait of Yanka Kupala and other works have contributed to the broadening of interest in Belarusian themes in many countries of the world.

Belarusian artists have been particularly successful in depicting the beauty and individuality of the countryside. Among the distinguished modern landscape artists whose works are displayed in the National Art Museum are V. Tsvirka, V. Gromyko, F. Domashkevich, V. Sumarev and others.

Belarusian sculptors have also made an important contribu­tion to the prestige of Belarusian art. The outstanding sculptor Z. Azgur (1908-1995) is famous for his classical portrayals of Belarusian and international central figures, including those of Yakub Kolas, Yanka Kupala, Rabindranath Tagore. Other famous Belarusian sculptors are A. Glebov (1908-1968), S. Selekhanov (1917-1976) and A. Bembel (1905-1986). These "Big Four", as they are sometimes called, decorated many public buildings and various places in Minsk and other

Belarusian cities.

Belarus keeps memory of its national heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of their Motherland. They are Nikolay Gastello, Victor Talalikhin, Konstantin Zaslonov, the defend­ers of the Brest Fortress and many many others.

Belarusian sportsmen have also contributed a lot to the glory and fame of the country thanks to their achievements in major international competitions.

16. Answer the questions.

1.  What spheres of life have outstanding Belarusians con­tributed to?

2.  What were F. Scoryna's interests? What is he famous for?

3.  Who are the most famous Belarusian writers and poets?

4.   Who is the most prominent master of Belarusian domes­tic scene?

5.  What did N. Orda depict in his pictures?

6.   What representatives of Vitebsk school of art received the world fame?

7.  What trend in art did V. Belynytsky-Birulya belong to?

8.   What other Belarusians contributed to the glory and fame of our culture?

World-Famous People with Belarusian Roots

Lesson 5, Ex. 2 and 3

- Oh, it’s amazing!

- What is it?

- I’ve just bought a magazine with an article about James Bond. I love these films. Here they say they’re going to start a new Bond film soon at MGM studio. Their previous “Casino Royal” was a big success.

-Yes, that’s true. Almost all films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are good. Remember “Legally Blond” or ..well “Tom and Jerry”.

- Right. Do you know what I’ve found out in this magazine? They say that Louis B. Mayer, the creator of MGM, was in fact from Belarus.

- Really?

- Yeah! He was born in Minsk, and later his parents moved to New York where he helped his father in a shop. They also say that his birthday was unknown, so he took up the 4^th of July as his official date of birth. He always understood what people wanted to see at the cinema and that’s why his studio always had "more stars than there are in the heavens".

- That’s true. And it’s interesting that he was from Belarus. Then, logically, MGM should have invited Harrison Ford or Michael Douglas to play the part of James Bond.

- Why is that?

- Haven’t you seen the new programme with Lisa Kudrow?  It’s name is…. “Who Do You Think You Are”. They invite famous people and travel with them around the world to learn the story of their ancestors.

- No. That’s the first time I hear about it.

- I see. Well, the first programme was with Michael Douglas. They showed the place in Belarus where according to the family story Michael’s ancestors had a farm.

-So, Douglas has Belarusian roots too?

-Yeah. His grandparents were quite rich, but in 1908 they decided to leave their motherland because of the war. What’s more they said that Michael Douglas has a cousin who lives in Mogilev.

- Cool! Are these grandparents on Michael’s mum side?

- No. They are parents of his father, Kirk Douglas, who was an actor as well. They say he didn’t want Michael to start acting as his own career was full of downs. But as you see Michael didn’t listen and became not only a successful actor and producer. He’s also a UN Messenger of Peace.

- I see. And did you mention Harrison Ford? Is he somehow Belarusian too?

- Surprise, surprise! Well, actually, he’s half German and half Belarusian. His mother’s parents lived in Minsk, but his father’s parents emigrated from Germany.

- Fantastic! So worldwide known Indiana Jones is half Belarusian…

- Well, he became Indiana Jones not at once. Harrison Ford has had difficult times. He even had to work as a carpenter to earn money because his acting career wasn’t very successful in the beginning.

- I really can’t believe it! Anyway, let’s go online and search the net. I’d like to know who else had ancestors from Belarus.

- I can tell you that Pavel Sukhoi, a famous military airplane constructor was born in Belarus, in Vitebsk region. He was a very talented young man and as his career started during World War II he put all his talents and skills to save his motherland. Probably that’s why his plane SU 27 is now considered to be one of the best in the world.

- And I’ve just found a website where they give the whole list of people with roots in Belarus. Louis B. Mayer, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Pavel Sukhoi…. oh, guess who else is on this list!

- Who is it?

- Marc Chagall and Larry King, and Aizek Asimov.

- Is Marc Chagall an artist from Vitebsk? I think my mum has a poster with his picture on her computer.

- Yes, he is an artist. And he was born and lived in Belarus for a while. Oh, my… Can you imagine he had nine brothers and sisters and he was the oldest. I think it’s terrible! …Oh, and he died when he was 97. That’s a long life!

- I agree! And who’s Larry King?

- Larry King? He’s a famous radio and television host. He’s a real TV star and his nightly programme Larry King Live has been number one over the years! Larry King is a king of talk shows. His parents emigrated from Belarus and when Larry was nine his father died of a heart attack. Larry himself is now suffering from a serious heart disease that he probably inherited from his dad. He always told about his Belarusian ancestors and he wants to come to Belarus one day and make a programme here.

- I see. And you also said something about Aizek Asimov. I’m keen on his sci-fi novels and stories. Is he from Belarus as well?

- They say he is. Let me read it… Aha, he was born in a place on the border between Belarus and Russia. His ancestors were millers and in 1923 they left the Soviet Union and arrived in New York City. There his father had a very successful candy store. Aizek learned to read when he was five and …. they say he was not only a science fiction writer, but also a respected scientist. That’s it. Don’t know much more about him and never read any of his books.

- That’s not it! His books are fantastic! Do you remember the film “I, Robot” with Will Smith?

- Of course, I do.

- Is based on Asimov’s story!  

- Really?

- And they say that his series of short stories influenced everything from “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” to “Star Wars” and “Futurama”.

- Now I’d better read some of his stories? Are they long?

- Oh, come on! They are…

Dover Castle

A Man's Home Is His Castle

Lesson 5, Ex. 2 and 3

A –Aneka S – Sophie

S: Hello, Aneka! How are you! I haven’t seen you for ages. You didn’t appear on line for such  a long time. Where have you been?

A: Oh, hi Sophie! I was travelling for a week. Can you imagine, I visited seven castles of Europe.

S: Oh, my! But why did you go travelling in the middle of the school year?

A: You see, I took part in an international competition “Sight Hunters”.

S: “Sight Hunters”??? What is it all about?

A: Well, you have to look for an interesting sight in your country which you want to become well-known around the world. Then you have to make a poster about it which you send to the judges. They choose a hundred teenagers who have sent the most interesting posters and invite them to Germany to the Knights’ Days. There you present your sight and 5 winners who have been chosen by voting get a chance of visiting seven European castles. I got the second place!!! Can you imagine?

S: Congratulations! So the trip is a prize in a competition.

A: That’s right.

S: So, which castle did you like best?

A: Oh, I loved all of them. But the most exciting was Dover Castle.

S: Dover Castle?

A: Yes, well, in fact it’s not just a castle, it’s a fortress.

S: A fortress? What’s a fortress?

A: A fortress is a building which is constructed to protect a castle from enemies.

S: Got it!

A: So, our plan of staying in Dover Castle included visiting the dungeons and the watch towers. We also planned to go to the Great Hall for a concert. Besides we wanted to go round the castle to see the moat and the drawbridge.

S: Oh, wait a minute! What’s a moat first?

A: Oh, it’s a deep canal which was built around a castle to protect it. There usually was a drawbridge across it. It’s a special bridge that can be raised to block the entrance to the castle. 

S: Oh, I see. And did you mention the dungeons??? Do you mean the underground rooms that were used to keep prisoners there?

A: Exactly!

S: It sounds really scary!

A: No, there’s a museum there now! And the watch towers, they are the towers that were used for observing the territory around the castle and signaling any possible danger. They are fantastic. You can see everything around you from up there.

S: So you went to the dungeons and the watch towers…

A: Yes, but, unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to see the moat and the drawbridge because the concert was too long.

S: A concert? What kind of concert? Rock? Pop?

A: No, no. It was a concert of Medieval music. We listened to minstrels. They are musicians who traveled from place to place to sing and entertain people in the Middle Ages. Their show was unforgettable. They played and danced in the Great Hall of the castle. And after the concert there was a knight battle show. Do you know who the knights are?

S: Of course, I do! They are medieval soldiers who fought in tournaments. They always belonged to an order.

A: That’s right! So to cut a long story short my day in Dover Castle was fantastic! I’ll send you the pictures later.

S: Oh, I’d love to see them. Thanks. Now what about that….

The Distant and Recent Past of Belarus

Who was that first person who called himself a Belarusian? Though his name is lost in the mist¹ of centuries, but the first inhabitants are believed to live on the territory of Belarus around 100 thousand years ago. The ancestors of Belarusians were eastern Slavonic tribes²: the Krivichi, Dregovichi and Radimichi. Later, in the 9th century AD on their lands Polotsk, Turov and other principalities were formed and they became a part of Kievan Rus, a powerful feudal ['fju:dl] state at that time. In the 14th century Lithuanian princes, who later united with Polish magnates, took pos­session of Western Rus, including Belarus. They ruled over these lands until the 16th century. It was at that time when the creation of the Belarusian nationality, language and culture was completed. Official documents and literary records of the time prove it.

But where does the name Belarus come from? At the end of the 14th century Western Rus was referred to as Belaya Rus. It's difficult at present to explain how this name came about. Some researchers say that the name Belaya Rus was associated with the white colour of the clothes that the local people wore and their fair hair. Others believe that the word "bely" was used to denote free and independent from the Tatar Hordes.

Belarusians have been destined³ to live at the crossroads of Europe's major routes. The land of Belarus has seen through its history all kinds of enemies from far and near: the Goths marched through it to the much desired Black Sea leaving behind ruins and death. In the 13th century the German Order of Knights of the Sword⁴ drove through Belarus and the

Swedish feudal lords set out to grab their share. At the end of the 18th century Polish domination in Belarus ended and in 1772 the eastern part of Belarus passed to Russia and was uni­ted in a single centralized state.

Historians estimate that from the eleventh century the towns of Belarus were burnt to ashes at least three times every hundred years as a result of invasions.

The Belarusian Polesye legends that were passed from ge­neration to generation say that in those years whole castles, cathedrals and towns disappeared under the ground, in lakes or swamps⁵ to avoid surrender to the enemy.

During the retreat⁶ from Moscow in 1812 many hundreds of Napoleon's soldiers perished at the town of Borisov. Bitter bat­tles were fought on Belarusian land during the First World War (1914-1918), the Civil War (1918-1922) and the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945).

From the very first days of the Great Patriotic War, Belarusians rose up in defence of their country. The occupation of every inch of Belarusian land cost fascist invaders great losses. A nation-wide partisan war developed behind the front lines. In essence, anyone who could hold a weapon fought against the invaders.

Victory was achieved at a high cost. Cities, towns and vil­lages lay in ruins. 209 out of 270 cities and towns were destroyed and burnt as well as 9200 villages. But the heaviest losses were of people. Each third Belarusian was killed, burnt alive or removed to labour camps in Germany.

And again within a short period of time Belarus rose from ashes like the phoenix⁷ bird.

At present, Belarus is a sovereign, independent state with its own government, constitution, coat of arms, flag and national anthem.

Belarusian people value peace and want to be on good-neigh­bourly terms with all other nations. They pay tribute to their ancestors and believe that the country with such a unique his­tory and rich cultural heritage will have a happy future.

¹mist - мгла; ²tribe - племя; ³be destined - быть предопределённым; ⁴Order of Knights of the Sword – Орден меченосцев; ⁵swamp - болото; ⁶retreat - отступление; ⁷phoenix - феникс

Belarus official holidays

A look at official holidays Belarus, and other festivals and significant days celebrated in the country

15 March - Constitution Day

15 March marks the day in 1994 when Belarus established its new Constitution.

2 April - Union Day of Belarus and Russia

This is the official holiday marking the union of the states of Belarus and Russia. On this day in 1996 the President of Belarus (Alexander Lukashenko) and the then-President of Russia (Boris Yeltsin) signed the Commonwealth agreement of Belarus and Russia in Moscow. One year later, on 2 April 1997, came the agreement to form a Belarus-Russia Union.

2nd Sunday in May - Day of the National Emblem and Flag of Belarus

This holiday is dedicated to the main symbols of the country which embody the ideas of national unity and are the major attributes of sovereignty and independence in Belarus. 

9 May - Victory Day

Victory Day commemorates victory in the World War 2 (known as the Great Patriotic War).

During the war, 25 per cent of the population of Belarus died. The occasion is marked with a large parade in Minsk Victory Square led by war veterans.

3 July - Independence Day

In Belarus, Independence Day is celebrated on 3 July and marks the liberation of Minsk in 1944 from fascist aggressors.

The occasion is marked with a large military parade in Pobeditilei Avenue.   Independence Day demonstrates the achievements of a sovereign Belarus and reminds the people that by suffering great loss, they have won the freedom of their country.

Other holidays and memorable dates in Belarus

Holidays:

1 January: New Year

7 January: Orthodox Christmas

23 February: Fatherland Defenders and Armed Forces day of the Republic of Belarus – a day that pays tribute to servicemen past and present, and recognises all men too.

8 March: Women’s Day – This day was established following the revolution in 1917. In modern Belarus 8 March is a celebration of love and respect toward women.

1 May: Labour Day (Worker’s Day) - International Labour Day is one of the most popular holidays in Belarus. To celebrate there are lots of concerts and public entertainment and many families celebrate with picnics and shashlik barbecues. 

7 November: October Revolution Day

25 December: Catholic Christmas

Memorable dates:

Belarus officially established memorable dates to acknowledge victims of great tragedy and to pay respect to those that died.

9th day after Orthodox Easter: Commemoration Day (Radonitsa) – on this day, people in Belarus usually visit cemeteries to pay respect and lay flowers on the tombs of relatives and friends.

26 April:  Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy

22 June: Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Great Patriotic War

Remembrance Day – is a great holiday for Belarusian people. It is called “Dziady”. This holiday is dedicated to the memory of those who died or perished. It is officially celebrated on the 1^st Saturday in November. On this day people remember their dead parents, grandparents and relatives. To express their honour to the dead the Belarusians lay the table with food on this day. It is believed that on Remembrance Day the souls return to the houses they used to live in.

Other Holidays:

Apart from the official holidays in Belarus there are also popular ancient national holidays:   

6 – 7 July: Kupalle – Celebrated over the entire night of 6 July, this holiday is accompanied by songs, dances and traditions such as fire-jumping and night swims. 

Most of the folk holidays are connected with farm work. One, called “Dozhinky”, literally means picking up the last remaining wheat ears in the field. It means that the harvesting time is over. This holiday is five hundred years old. During the holiday people make a show of their work and art.

History of Minsk

Early East Slavs settled the forested hills of today’s Minsk by the 9th century. They had been migrating from further south and pushing the preceding Balts northwards. The valley of Svislach river was settlement boundary between two Early East Slavs' tribal unions – Krivich and Dregovichs. By 980 the area was incorporated into the early medieval Principality of Polatsk, one of the earliest East Slav states alongside with the principalities of Kiev and Novgorod.

 There is no exact historical record for the date when Minsk was founded. It was first mentioned (as Mensk) in the Primary Chronicle in 1067. That year the chronicle recorded a bloody battle between troops of Polatsk and Kiev princes on the banks of Niamiha river (tributary of Svislach). Minsk, which was a Principality of Polatsk town, was burnt down by the Kievan army during a war between Kiev and Polatsk. 1067 is now widely attributed as a founding year of Minsk, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) should have existed for some time before it could have been burnt down. Some historians believe that Minsk evolved (developed) from an earlier village, which may have been founded as early as the 9th or 10th centuries. Recent archeological excavations support this idea.

 There is a theory, that initially Minsk was located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka river. According to this view, Kievan troops first seized the town and then marched to the mouth of Niamiha, location of a small fort, where the chronicle battle occurred. Later the fort was rebuilt and re-named Mensk .

 There are several theories on the origin of the name.

1. The settlement on the banks of Menka river to the southwest of today’s Minsk. Remnants of a 10th century settlement on the banks of the Menka were found by archeologists in the 1930s.

2. There is a legend of a giant man with a name ‘Menesk’ who lived in the area and gave the name to a settlement.

3. The city name comes from Slavonic word “мена” (“miena” – “barter” or “trade” in English”), as Minsk initially served as a trading settlement around a marketplace. However, it is less likely, as Slavs rarely used names for trade or craft for their towns. Most towns and cities have been named after rivers or governing princes.

4. Niamiha river may have had another name then, possibly Meniha. This would explain why a settlement on its banks would be named Mensk.