Wiazynka

Wiazynka

Wiazynka (or Vyazynka) is a small village located not far from Minsk. Here, at folwark, in 1882 was born Ivan Lutsevich, better known as Janka Kupala the poet, playwright, publicist, Belarusian literature classics. His family was noble, although both of Kupala’s parents were employed as tenant farmers at the folwark. Kupala was thus essentially born into a landless peasant class. Kupala received a traditional Belarusian education, completing his studies in 1898. Following the death of his father in 1902, Kupala worked a variety of short-term jobs, including as a tutor, a shop assistant, and a record keeper.

Every year, during summer solstice, here celebrate Midsummer (Kupalle on BY).
This is a pagan summer celebration of fertility. Lately it was renamed into a Christian celebration of St John’s Day.  That fest usually involves youth going into a forests and the meadows, wearing flowers and grass garlands, dancing in roundelay around fires, jumping through fires.
A popular kind of Midsummer Night is fortune-telling – putting wreaths on water. People believed that on Midsummer Night the fern has a very special flower the fern flower (paparats-kvetka on BY) is glowing in the dark. The fern flower give a ability to see the future and find all the world’s hidden treasures. If you find the flower, you’ll be happy. But no one has found this yet. Search of the fern flower is one of the most mysterious rituals of Midsummer Night.

In 1972, the Government of Belarus has decided to establish the literary-memorial reserve writer.
Today the farm looks the same as in the XIX century and literary museum located there. Near the house the trees grow planted by the Kupala’s wife together with Belarusian writers and fans of the writer.
The reserve area is about 21 hectares. Nearby is the railway. Also near water channel connecting the Svisloch river and Vilija river. This is Vileika-Minsk water system, water system of Minsk. Where the water from the river Vilija (it’s Neman basin) being transferred to Svisloch river (Dnieper basin).  This is a unique engineering object of the Soviet period. Around the beautiful places, there is ecological trails for cyclists and backpackers.

 

A pictures and panorams photo of Wiazynka photo gallery added August, 15, 2015.