In the footsteps of the Belarusian dragon

Lepel District is a unique natural area. Here, under the protection of the Berezinsky Nature Reserve, there are thousands of hectares of original territories: rivers, forests, swamps and floodplains of the picturesque Berezina River. Ancient myths and legends still live in this region. And it’s not without reason that the dragon settled in the city park of Lepel.

Maybe he’s real...

Father Frost, with whom we are going on a tour of iconic Lepel places, makes an appointment in the city centre, on the shore of the lake. From here the fabulous Tsmok views the surroundings. His bronze figure was erected in 2013. The surface of the lake has not yet frozen into ice — it feels as if a funny little dragon has just emerged from the abyss and froze in surprise at the snowdrifts around. 
Despite the good-natured appearance of the sculpture, some residents avoid this place — they believe that Tsmok actually lives in the lake.
But the little one from the nearest kindergarten is not the least bit afraid. The kids rode the mythical hero in the blink of an eye. Everyone unanimously says: Belarusian Tsmok is very kind! Santa Claus supports the children: our dragon, unlike the monster, does not offend anyone and does not breathe fire. Therefore, in his honour, the Tsmok’s Way annual festival of Slavic mythology is held in the Berezinsky Nature Reserve.


“If you believe the myths, our dragon periodically swims into the Essa River, visits Bereshcha Lake and even the Berezinsky Canal. He does this in order to receive food from the wedding table from the residents of the surrounding villages. They say that in the old days, at exactly midnight, newlyweds threw pickles into the deepest pool and poured out moonshine: so that Tsmok would wish them a happy family life. And then he, tipsy, allegedly raged for a long time in the pool, rejoicing for the young,” Father Frost is paving the route.

Hunting for the water cow

We together decide to change the route a little — to stop by Bereshcha Lake. We can hardly see such beautiful landscapes as here anywhere. 
“Bereshcha is a unique forest lake. This is part of the Berezinsky Water System, built at the beginning of the 19th century and connecting the basins of the Black Sea and Baltic Sea. The depth of the structure is one and a half metres. But sapropel, valuable for health, is apparently invisible here! Yes, and fish too. By the way, paid fishing is allowed here — the lake is not located on the territory of the Berezinsky Nature Reserve, but nearby,” says Father Frost, testing the road ahead with his staff.

How the bears shook the apple trees

Our guide talks interestingly about Tsmok and the history of the reserve itself. After all, he has fifteen years of Father Frost experience. But this is not a record. Labour veteran Vasily Staver from the village of Domzheritsy is almost the same age as the reserve itself, he is 95 years old. He devoted his entire working life to local farming. He also heard about Tsmok — he told his two daughters and two sons about the mythical water creature. Now Vasily Staver lives alone; a social worker helps him manage the housework. Children and grandchildren often visit and call, but the pensioner does not want to leave the protected land. He states: there is nothing better in the world than the unique beauties of the Berezinsky reserve.
We went to visit him. The house is warm, the stove is new. Santa Claus hands the villager fruit and suggests: ‘Maybe we should chop some wood?’



The owner is happy — firewood never hurts. He readily arms the guest with an ax and shows the block: warm yourself, Father Frost! He worked hard, got excited, flushed, and then a new meeting — pensioner Lydia Belaya is eager for an audience. She is concerned, “Why don’t bears sleep? The other day we were walking around the old collective farm garden again, looking for food. You should somehow call them to order, grandfather!”
Frost smiles, “Don’t worry — the bears are already falling asleep in their dens.”
But there is nothing to be afraid of — there has not been a single case of aggression towards humans from clubfooted animals in the entire hundred years of the history of the reserve. Although they are seen often. After all, here, in the reserve, the king of animals feels safe. Scientists say: at least 70 individuals live in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve.

Frost trusts, but will try

Well, we didn’t meet Tsmok — apparently he doesn’t want to show up before the New Year. But we visited a real forest zoo and learned how those who were sheltered here would celebrate the holiday. Even from a distance, a funny plush slide on white snow attracts attention. This three-year-old bear Vasilisa is childishly enjoying the white flakes. Vaska is clearly not expecting guests. No matter how much Father Frost offered treats, she, like a spoiled child, played hide and seek, showing real acrobatic performances. 
It’s different with wolves — they are not averse to profiting from something. 


“Soon we will hear wolf calls. In January-February, marriage romances begin to be sung, and wild relatives respond to them in chorus from the forest. It’s fun... And here comes Savely — he’s ‘serving his time’ with us,” zoo workers joke.
The sad bison Savely is offended by everyone, he doesn’t even get up from his bed. Why should he be happy? They were sent here, albeit to a spacious, but ‘solitary cell’ from Belovezhskaya Pushcha. So what, he was a little naughty... He eliminated three rivals in the battle for his beloved. People decided: before the entire herd of bison has been destroyed, they need to isolate him.
“Savely is friends with people. He is still young, he is six years old. But he decided to rashly seize power in the tribe. Now he will live in captivity, there are no other options,” Father Frost notes.
Nyusha, the oldest resident of the zoo, happily accepts a treat from Father Frost. Everything suits her. Wintering goes well, there is plenty of food, the enclosure is large, and in the neighbourhood there are playful deer with ornately curled antlers. In general, each pet here has its own history of permanent registration in the zoo. Someone was shot, someone lost their mother in infancy... But Moroz is calm: the main thing is that now the animals are doing well — the bins are full of goodies, people are caring.
At the end of the excursion we go to an ancient swamp. Despite the snowdrifts, cranberries are still visible here in a red scattering between the hummocks. It shimmers under the sun, like a necklace of scarlet pearls in the snow. They say that the berries are especially sweet after frost... We try them and they are truly delicious. And around there are many animal tracks. Like an open book with many fascinating pages still unread. Maybe among them, on the eve of the New Year, someone will be able to find a path with paw prints of that same mythical Tsmok? Miracles happen if you believe in them...
P.S. Tourism specialist Aleksei Bogovets played the role of Father Frost on our New Year’s trip. We thank the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve for their assistance in preparing the report.



By Yelena Begunova

Photos by Anton Stepanishchev