Celebrations marking the 1150th anniversary of Polotsk will begin on May 25
24/05/20120 views
On May 24, Polotsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The opening of the monument to architect Ioann today will be a prelude to the festive events in honor of the 1150th anniversary of Polotsk, the head of the ideological work department of the Polotsk City Executive Committee, Natalya Ganebnaya, told a BELTA correspondent.
The monument to the founder of the Polotsk architectural school, architect Ioann, who built the Savior-Transfiguration Church in the XII century by order of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk, was made with funds from the city's construction organizations and will be installed in the new residential microdistrict Aeroport. The legendary architect seems to be taking new architecture of the old city under his patronage.
The official start of the celebrations, united under the general name "Hymn to Polotsk - the Father of Belarusian Cities", will be given on May 25. This day in the jubilee city, by decision of local deputies, has been declared a day off. Six concert and entertainment and trade platforms will welcome guests. The main one will be Freedom Square. Here, the best citizens will be honored, and festive concerts will be held. The Belarusian State Honored Choreographic Ensemble "Kharoshki" and the art group "Belarusy" will perform. And after the festive fireworks, scheduled for midnight, a youth disco will begin, which will last until the early morning.
Concerts, exhibitions of folk crafts, and national cuisine will also await guests at other venues. Everyone will find something interesting and unusual for themselves, the organizers of the celebrations promise. The Year of the Book will be marked by the literary and musical program "A Lamp Lit by God for the World".
The festive celebrations will last until June 5. Every day promises to be full of bright events. Thus, on Saturday, May 26, the regional festival of folk art "Play, Accordion!" and concerts of Polotsk's partner cities "Festive City, to You Our Talent and Love" will be held. Masterpieces of opera art will be heard near the ancient walls of St. Sophia in the evening, and lovers of Melpomene will see the play "Rogneda" staged by the Honored Amateur Collective of the Republic of Belarus, the Polotsk Theater "Pilgrim". The main heroes of this day will be Polotsk athletes. Olympic Day will be held under the motto "Polotsk! Let's Multiply Your Glory with Sports".
Following the athletes, Polotsk will honour its young residents. The city festival of the last bell "Graduate-2012" will take place on May 30, and on June 1, International Children's Day, a festival dedicated to children and the open city vocal children's competition "On the Wings of a Dream" will be held. Orthodox creativity "Polotsk Gathers Compatriots" will be presented on June 2. Bell ringing and spiritual chants will be heard over the ancient city.
The medieval culture festival "Rubon" was well-received by Polotsk residents, and they decided to combine it with the anniversary celebrations and hold it from June 1 to 3. Historical reconstruction clubs from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic will send their knights to Polotsk to demonstrate their strength in tournaments and courage in castle sieges – a captivating and dynamic spectacle.
The culmination of the celebrations will be the commemoration day of Saint Euphrosyne of Polotsk on June 5. Divine liturgies will be held in the churches of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery, followed by a religious procession from the Saint Sophia Cathedral to the monastery.
Amidst the festivities, ancient Polotsk does not forget about the present and cares for its prosperous future. From May 25 to 26, the city will host an investment forum with the participation of about 20 enterprises from the Polotsk region. They will present their new products and introduce potential partners to investment proposals. During the celebrations, Polotsk will sign partnership agreements in economic and cultural spheres with the Azerbaijani city of Mingachevir and the Armenian city of Alaverdi.
About a thousand guests will come to Polotsk to congratulate it on its anniversary. Among them are high-ranking officials of Belarus, government members, senators and deputies, famous natives – members of the Polotsk Community, and representatives of seven diplomatic missions. More than a hundred media representatives will cover the celebrations. -0-
BELTA