This is the title of the celebration, familiar to Grodno residents and neighbours from the nearby regions of Lithuania and Poland. The summer amphitheatre, close to Dombrovka sluice on the Avgustovsky Canal, is the venue for a meeting of folk bands. As is traditional, the event opens with a parade of all the groups and continues with an open air gala-concert on the banks of the canal. The Head of the Ideology, Culture and Youth Affairs Department at Grodno District Executive Committee, Natalia Romanovich, describes some of the peculiarities of the holiday, “There is an eventful programme, with folklore bands from Belarusian, Polish and Lithuanian national associations from the Grodno Region performing on the main stage. These will be joined by groups from the Polish town of Augustów and the Lithuanian cities of Lazdijai and Druskininkai. The Grodno District has maintained friendly links with them for many years. Small farmsteads also organise events where all those who wish can taste the national cuisine. Master classes are held in straw weaving, embroidery and wood carving, as well as mehendi and face painting.”
The festival at Avgustovsky Canal is a celebration of the culture of three nations
The most spectacular events are the team competitions in hand-made boats along the Canal. Participants of the ‘Anything that Floats’ race have to build a boat from improvised materials and sail 300m on it. There is no time limit and there are additional points for originality. This idea was borrowed from Polish Augustów. Meanwhile, the open tournament in marsh football is no less spectacular; this game has quickly gained popularity from last year and there were lots of applications. As a result, almost 40 teams, including Polish and Lithuanian, take part in the contest.
The festival’s programme included lots of various events
By Tatiana Kondratieva
