What surprised visitors at the "Volaty Prydsvinnya" festival in Vitebsk District?

The agrotown of Kirovo, Vitebsk District, hosted the "Volaty Prydsvinya" street art festival. The warmth and positive atmosphere of the celebration remain the same, but the format is regional for the first time.

By tradition, the festival is dedicated to Fyodor Makhnov, a native of the area, a circus star, who was 285 cm tall. The Belarusian giant gained worldwide fame. From early morning, on numerous themed sites, everything was done with Makhnov's scope and flavour. From a decorative cake and stilt walkers in the recognisable image of a hero to "tasty" folk homesteads.

"Don't pass by!" – they call from the Shapechino homestead. On the table is the usual breakfast of the giant Makhnov. Our Fyodor Andreyevich was modest in his eating habits, shares Irina Postoyalkina, Head of the Day Care Department for the Elderly in the agrotown of Shapechino, Territorial Centre for Social Services of Vitebsk District:

– Twenty eggs, bread, 200 grams of butter, six cups of tea – that was his standard morning meal. And this is not fantasy, but a real fact. To recreate a Makhnov-style breakfast, we prepared thoroughly. Even the bread in our improvised street cafe was baked to order and according to a special recipe. A substantial loaf weighs about 2.5 kilograms!

The focus is on unusual giant art objects: from a stylized hat and boots of the giant, multi-coloured pencils the size of a child, to a giant frying pan with an equally giant fried egg. All this is also a tribute to the main guest of honour. Local resident Alexander Tyapkov is photographing his son Arseniy against the backdrop of a mock mega-fried egg:

– You'll definitely be full with this (laughs). The scale of the current "Volaty Prydsvinya" is also pleasantly surprising. I am sure that such magnificent festivals are very much needed in rural areas! We are at the festival as a whole family: my wife Victoria, our sons Arseniy and Ivan, and daughter Katya. The latter is even involved in one of the sites.

13-year-old Artyom Plisunov picks up boots, almost like those of the Belarusian Gulliver. The student of Kirovo Secondary School is surprised:

– Wow, what a size! I've heard a lot about Fyodor Makhnov, it was interesting. Today I am participating in the festival not as a spectator, but helping at a themed site.

Teacher Natalia Shumovich came to the celebration with her ceramics:

– I represent the Olgovo Nursery School – Basic School. Specifically for this wonderful festival, we have created new items, both large and small, for contrast and comparison. For example, ceramic bast shoes and thimbles.

Participants of the Honoured Amateur Collective of the Republic of Belarus, the exemplary circus studio "Arena", travelled from Orsha specifically for "Volatou Prydzvinnia". This year, for the first time, a competition for street circus performances is being held during the festival. The head of "Arena", Elena Zhavnenko, is pleased with the reception:

– It is the most hospitable! Our performers are participating out of competition, but we will definitely showcase ourselves at the Gala Concert and will also delight the audience with a show program.

Among the festival participants is a special guest. This is Margarita Dmitrievna Yushkevich, a local historian of the Dzvina region. It was she who, over forty years ago, became fascinated by the story of Fyodor Makhnov, painstakingly gathered information about him, and published the unique book "The Legend of the Giant from the Village of Kostyuki". In doing so, she essentially "rediscovered" the Belarusian giant for future generations.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by