With these words begins an ancient harvest song, with which, one to two hundred years ago, women would reap the first sheaves. With this song, just like their mothers and grandmothers in their time, this year the elder residents of the agro-town of Stai, Galina Savelyevna Fokina, Zinaida Ilyinichna Kulesh, and Valentina Yakovlevna Smazhevskaya, reaped the first symbolic sheaf. In the song, they also asked God for help in their work, for good weather, strength, and health to manage to "reap the field."
With these words begins an ancient harvest song, with which, one to two hundred years ago, women would reap the first sheaves. With this song, just like their mothers and grandmothers in their time, this year the elder residents of the agro-town of Stai, Galina Savelyevna Fokina, Zinaida Ilyinichna Kulesh, and Valentina Yakovlevna Smazhevskaya, reaped the first symbolic sheaf. In the song, they also asked God for help in their work, for good weather, strength, and health to manage to "reap the field."
This year's district harvest initiation was held in the field of SVF "Zaazerye" of OJSC "Lepel MCC," located before the village of Kalniki. Although the harvest has actually begun, and the first machines with threshed grain have arrived at the drying complexes, the symbolic ritual could not be omitted.
At the appointed time, three combine harvesters stood at the edge of the field, three trucks stopped nearby, an MTZ-82 tractor with a baler for pressing straw, and finally, a fire engine arrived.
Vladimir Sudak, the chief agronomist of the agricultural branch, briefly spoke about the prospects for this year's harvest.
The first sheaf was presented to Alexander Bykov, and then to the heads of farms who specially arrived for the event, and, of course, to the main figures of the harvest – the combine operators and the agronomist. A loaf of bread made from last year's grain was presented to the Chairman of the District Council of Deputies, Nikolai Misyura. This was done to express the wish to meet at the district festival of "Dazhynki" (end of harvest) and there to present a loaf of bread made from the new harvest grain.
Priest Serhiy Lyashkevich stated that all of us, when starting any good deed, ask for God's help, so that He gives us strength, health, and assistance. Now you are starting the best deed on earth – harvesting bread. May God's blessing be with you, and may peace and harmony reign in your homes and families. Because if there are troubles at home, there can be no talk of fruitful work. If a man knows that a beloved wife and happy children await him at home, then the work becomes easier. And now let's read a prayer for success in any good deed.
By order of the director of SEF "Zaazerye" OJSC "Lepel MCC" Oleg Danchenko, the combine harvesters under the command of Pyotr Dukhovich, Pavel Kolesnikovich, Vadim Pykhtin, Alexander Kanakov, Nikolay Podvorny, and Dmitry Denisenko smoothly moved into the wheat field.
The first kilograms of grain were poured into the bunkers. And the old reapers blessed the iron machines, wishing them and the combine operators fruitful work.
Vasily MATYRKA.
In the photo: a solemn moment of the event.
Photo by the author.