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Our names are Ann, Olga and Yulya. Before writing something about our native town which is called Zelva we want to tell you some words about our country we live. Our country is small and not everybody knows about it. It was a part of the former Soviet Union and now it is a separate state. So we first introduce you with our country, our traditions, our capital, our Region center and then about our Zelva. This is how we plan to introduce our place we live.

Byelarus History.

The name "Byelarus" first appeared in official manuscripts in the 14th century. There are different hypotheses as the origin of the name. One of the hypotheses is that the name comes from the fact that in ancient times "to be white" meant "to be free". In the 13th century while East-Slavonic lands were under the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the North-West of Ancient Russ was free and that part was called Byelaya Russ at that time. It was also known that the people of this part of the land were dressed in white. Their clothes were made of flax. They had fair hair and blue or gray eyes. Some historians explain the origin of the name of this fact. By the way, do you know that for many centuries Byelarus had been called Litva and Byelorussians had been called Litvins? And even the Byelorussian language in the 19th century was rather often called Lithuanian-Russian? This was the case, because, as you know, for almost five hundred years Byelarus was part of the great Principality of Lithuania and the Byelorussian language was the official language of this great state. It is also interesting to know that the collection of this laws – the famous Statute of the Great Principality of Lithuanian excellent monument of the 15th century, was written in the Byelorussian language. The Statute was translated into the Russian, Polish, German, Ukraine languages. Many European countries based their collection of laws upon this Statute.

Traditions.

All peoples have their own traditions and in our country there are so much of them. We would like to tell you about only some of them which are the most popular among our people. We think they are very close to all countries. Celebrations of May Day in many countries remind us of our Kupala holiday, doesn’t it? Let us see. The name of the month May sounds in many languages in the same way: English-May, German-Mai, Polish-Maj, Czech-Maj, Russian and Byelorussian-ÍÁÊ, etc. Very long ago in India, Egypt and Rome games and ceremonies took place for several days in May in honoree of the goddess Floria, the goddess of flowers and plants and growth. In England May Day was a public holiday and all the classes of society took part in it – men and boys cut down a tall straight tree. This was a dancing pole. It was called a Maypole. It was decorated with flowers, ribbons and wreaths. Youngsters, youths and grown-ups danced around it. Byelorussian people celebrated Kupala’s holiday in the same way. This holiday is dear to us. It is connected with Yanka Kupala, whose creative work marked the birth of modern Byelorussian poetry. The poet’s pseudonym was connected with the legend about the "Magic fern-flower" which comes into bloom on the eve of Kupala day. The legend speaks of the flower as bringing happiness to those who find it.

Another tradition is connected with bread. Byelorussian cookery has an interesting past. Some material concerning Byelorussian cookery can be found in the works of the works of the historians and ethnographers of the 18th century and of the 19th century. Particular attention has always been paid to bread. A good supply of bread used to be the symbol of prosperity of a working family. There are many popular sayings that have to do with bread: Bread is staff of life. Bread is figured in the ceremonies connected with childbirth, match-making and other solemn occassions.

Byelorussian forests

Hi. My name is Alex.

I live in small country which is called Belarus. Perhaps not everyone even heard about it. There is much to speak about my country but I’d like to tell you about our forests. And when you read my assay, you’ll understand why I want to speak about them.

From time immemorial forests have murmured over the Byelorussian land bringing echoes of eternity. As a source of many riches the forest has fed and warmed our people for ages, sheltered and reliably defended them in times of hardships. Today forests occupy one third of the Republic’s territory and spread over almost seven million hectares. The old Byelavezhskaya Pushcha Forest Preserve makes an unforgettable impression everyone. Its secular firtrees and mighty oak- groves evoke memory of those pristine forests that covered not very long ago the greater part of Europe. This wild forest is very diverse. It is thick and light, dark and joyful, old and young. Unique is a country of blue-eyed lakes and pine forests, our Byelorussian lake-land. What more beautiful could nature create? The beauty of the forest, not loud on the face of it, possesses a special magnetic force, can deeply move a human heart. The environment is said to influence the people’s character. Everyone, who visited our Republic and travelled across it, cannot but agree with it. Great and mysterious is our forest. It can never be dull, monotonous, closed from searching eyes. Each path leading deep into the woods bears you the joy of cognition and new discoveries. Step by step, you get into a green temple full of wonderful life, rain washed and sun-heated, smelling of conifers, flowers and herds. The forest is fine in any season. It is full of bright joy of awakening and triumphant sounds of bird’s voices in spring, permeated with rustle of green leaves and fragrance of berries in summer, enveloped in crimson colours and mushroom fogs in autumn, painted with snow tracery and tracks of wild beasts. First of all we value and glorify the forest for the riches it gives the people. Its significance as a source of food products and materials necessary for all branches of economy grows noticeably with every year. Now, as we have begun to comprehensively estimate the importance of the forest as a factor of environmental protection indispensable for the preservation of life on the planet, we discover more new values of large tracts of forests for it is their vital activity that provides the Earth with free oxygen. The forest plays an especially important part in this global function: it regenerates two thirds of the air volume. So let us visit the forest as we visit our friend, with pure thoughtsand open-heart, walk along familiar and remote f orest paths, find a hiding place, listen to, watch and rejoice at the encounter with a wary beast, touch secrets of the living beauty.

Larisa Geniush

My name is Yuliya Devyaten. I live in a small town of Zelva and so proud that here there lived and worked the famous poetess Larisa Geniush. So I’d like to tell you some words about her. Larisa Geniush There are many outstanding people in our country. Among them you can find the names of political and public figures, intellectuals and scientists, heroes of work and labor. I’d like to tell you about a famous person, a woman, a poetess, Larisa Antonovna Geniush.I think everybody heard about her poetry and of cause, about her difficult life.

Larisa Geniush was born on the August 9 1910 in the village of Zhlobovtsy, Volkovysk Region. Her family was big and friendly. She loved her native place very much. In 1928 she finished the women’s gymnasium in Volkovysk. There being a student she began to write her poems. She was married Ivan Petrovich Geniush, who was from Zelva. The young family couldn’t find any work in Belarus, so they had to go Czechoslovakia. There is Czechoslovakia they were found the World War Two. In 1948 this family became a subject of repression. They were given 25 years of correctional works in Siberia. In 1956 they returned to Zelva. Ivan Petrovich worked as a doctor and Larisa Antonovna wrote her immortal poems. After her return to Belarus she wrote many poems and the best of them she collected to a book which was named ’’From Native Fields’’. Her next book was published already in 1967 in Soviet Byelarus. Here there were such poems as ’’There Is No Evil’’, ’’Gudevichi’’, the poem ’’A Chest’’ and many others. In 1982 she published her new book of lyrical poems. She had a son and grand children which live in Poland. The life separated them very early, but her poetry is full of love to them and to her family. She wrote many fairy-tales, poems for children and cradle-songs. So you see, her poetry is so rich and varied. She liked her native land, her people and Belarussion nature and she dedicated her life to the poetry and glorified our native country by her poems.

Minsk Do you know that Minsk, the capital of Byelarus, is more than nine hundred years old? Do you know the story of the legendary Menesk According to the ancient legend there once lived a hero, a Hercules, Menesk by name, a magician. On the Svislach river he built a mill "on seven wheels." At night he used to wander on the roads and gather around him detachments of armed people. It was stones that were ground into flour at the mill for chose who came uninvited and were unwelcome guests. There is some other version as to the origin of Minsk. The former name Mensk, now Minsk, comes from the word "mena" meaning "exchange" or from the river Menka which flew not far. Present-day Minsk is first and foremost a city of machinery and instruments. Our capital is one of the most important machinery-building and instrument-making centers. We have a highly developed food industry, producing different provisions. You should know that many people have a very good opinion of Minsk confectionary. Our republic is very fond of well-designed books, which are not only good reading but beautiful things, pleasant to handle as objects of art. Many of our Byelorussian books usually win prizes for their design at international book exhibitions. Marta Tereshko

Zelva.

Our native town is Zelva. Zelva is small but it is very beautiful. It is a district center in Grodno region. Though it is not big but it is very ancient. Zelva is situated on the bank of the river Zelvyanka between two towns of Volkovysk and Slonim. The first record about Zelva was in 1478 when the owner of the town Mikhail Nachovich had build a small church there.Trade and commerce were developed in our town that time. Every year there had been held great fairs. As the river Zelvyanka was navigable that time great number of merchants came there from different countries to trade. They came from Austria and Italy, Turkey and Sweden and from many other countries. Even the chief rabbi of Israel Leibel came to Zelva on fair. Now the population of Zelva is 10 thousand people. There aren’t any big industrial enterprises in our town so the air is very clean and the landscape and the nature are nice. Zelva region is called a pearl of Belarus. One can also enjoy of the beauty of the lake. It is artificial but very big and nice. There are many forests and woods in our region and they are great and mysterious. They are fine in any season. Zelva is known not only for its history but for its outstanding people. Such famous Belorussian poetess as Larisa Geniush lived and worked here and a great geneticist, a follower of Vavilov, Anton Zhebrak was born in Zelva region. Their lives were very difficult because they were arrested and repressed for their progressive views and activities. Now there are monuments to these people in our town and all inhabitants remember about them and value their memory and achievements. So you see my town is very nice and I am proud of its people. I love my native Zelva and wrote a poem about it. .

My Town My dear town and, I should say I love you, it is true. And all my hart and all my soul Are full of proud of you. You are so beautiful with all Your streets and lakes and woods, They call you pearl of Belarus And within you my roots. I love your people and I know They are so good and you Can proud of us because We are your children, We love you! Alex Konetsk

SOLIGORSK

Hello, my name is Denis Buturlin. I live in town Soligorsk .It is my native town. It is one of the youngest towns. It is well known as a big producer of potash fertilisers. In August, 2000 Soligorsk celebrated its 42th anniversary.Only 41 years have passed since the day when rast deposits of potash salt were discovered and today the Belaruskaly Association supplies 15% of the world output of potassium. Soligorsk - is a compact town. It is small in size but very,very NICE. I wish that in my town there are no professional theatres and pictures galleries. And there is only one cinema. The only sky-scraper is the 18-storied building of Belaruskaly admininstration.

But what is the legend of Soligorsk? Many years ago lived a monster in my town. He was very greedy. He had no heart, he had a stone instead of a heart. One day people decided to make this monster go away. But monster couldn't stand people's anger and went under the ground by taking away all people's treasure. Some centuries later the monster left without a trace. Very inteesting legend, isn't it?

Denis(Singer)

Page updated 26 April 2000

by Margaret Shearn

E-mail-mshearn@netconnect.com.au