Inventory

Region: District:

The Tradition of Pilgrimage And Worship of the "Blue Well"

Cipher (in the State list): 53Б0000103

Date inclusion: 02.08.2016

№ Protocol Rada: Пратакол пасяджэння Беларускай рэспубліканскай навукова-метадычнай рады па пытаннях гісторыка-культурнай спадчыны ад 16.01.2013 № 199. Пастанова Савета Мiнiстраў Рэспублiкi Беларусь ад 02.08.2016 № 607

Cipher (in inventory): НКС-130307/01

Identifying the elements of the ICH

Name:

The Tradition of Pilgrimage And Worship of the "Blue Well"

The second item name ICH (adopted in a particular community, the local version):

Blue Well

Corresponding to (s) Community (s), group (s) or individual (s) described:

The residents of the villages of Blahadac, Dubna, Rudnia, Novaja Slabada, Liasnaja, Kabina Hara, Lapacičy in Slaŭharad District, eastern districts of Mahilioŭ and Homel Regions of Belarus and some areas of Russia and Ukraine

Habitat:

Magileu region » Slaugarad district » Kliny Village;

Short description:

The Tradition of Pilgrimage And Worship of the "Blue Spring" is practiced during the national holiday of Makaviej (Maccabees), also known as the Savior of the Honey Feast Day, and it is linked to the veneration of the Holy Cross, Our Lady and the Holy Martyrs, seven Maccabees brothers. The celebration, which is annually held on August 14, attracts almost all the people of different ages and social groups, who live in the nearby villages of Slaŭharad District and Slaŭharad, the district center. On this day over one thousand years, the residents of the Prysožža, the areas of Mahilioŭ and Homeĺ Regions along the Sož River, as well as the adjacent areas of Russia and Ukraine (Smalensk, Bransk and Čarnihaŭ Regions) have been coming to the sacred "Blue Spring" to get some water from the baptismal font of their ancestors. People, who come to take part in the festivities, join the Cross Procession, the prayer, the ceremony of consecration of spring water, and bathing in it. The priests baptize young children and adults. The celebration finishes with visiting and worshiping the consecrated ancient boulders resting on the natural glade near the spring. The spring itself is a natural object of special interest. Its water’s temperature is constant - +8ºC (46.4F): it does not freeze in the winter and does not get warm in the summer

Identification and description

Category:

Knowledge & Practice Concerning Nature & Universe » Pilgrimage to the Holy Sources

Origin:

The Tradition of Pilgrimage And Worship of the "Holy Blue Spring" dates back to over 1000 years . It has been practiced by many generations of residents not only of Slaŭharad District, but also from the adjacent territories of Russia and Ukraine. Currently festival is held annually. According to Slaŭharad local historians, the tradition of pilgrimage and worshiping the Holy Spring developed after the Baptism of Rus by Prince Uladzimir of Kiev on August 14, 988. There is a legend that in the ancient times that locality was inhabited by the Radžimičy tribe, who honored water and the sun. The Blue Well spring was the most important for them and it became the place, where the baptism of the Radžimičy took place. Later, that place was sanctified, and the people developed a belief that it was holy and that the water in it was healing. The villagers of Slaŭharad District tell stories about the origin of the spring, which has been passed on from generation to generation: long-long ago there some giants living along the Sož River. Gloomy Marka was exceptional in his courage and strength, while cheerful Sciapan outclassed everybody in terms of posture and nobility. Both the giants fell in love with beautiful Kaciaryna, and both Marka and Sciapan sent their matchmakers to her. Not knowing whom to choose, Kaciaryna came up with the idea of a competition for the Giants and said: “The one, who will throw a heavy stone across the river, will be the one to marry me.” The giants threw the stones across the Sož, and when people came to compare the distance, Kaciaryna saw that there was no way for her beloved Sciapan to marry her. Then Kaciaryna said she would not marry a man whom she didn’t love, but would rather turn into a spring, that would serve people as a source of water. She climbed onto Sciapan’s boulder, jumped into the air, fell down and struck the boulder, broke into pieces, which turned into a sparkling spring not far from the Sož. Since then, Kaciaryna has been serving people endowing them with pure water. And the village, where the rejected man turned a stone was named Niamiĺa, i.e. unloved. The boulders can be seen in the nearby villages, and one can identify the handprints left on them

Language or dialect used:

Local dialect

Material objects that are associated with the practice of the element:

–

Other intangible elements associated with the practice of the element:

The legend about the formation of the spring can be considered an additional intangible element

Transmission model element in the community:

The residents of Kliny and neighboring villages inherited the tradition of pilgrimage and worship from their ancestors, mothers and grandmothers, which is a proof of the existence of a transfer mechanism of elements from generation to generation. Currently, there are several models of the transmission elements: - in the family (people come to the spring with their families) ; - in the community (the parish); - the media; - by means of issue of brochures and albums; - in the Internet; - by means of students’ ethnographic societies that study traditions and document the rite; - through the participation of all the people from the nearby villages of Slaŭharad District as well as pilgrims from Russia and Ukraine in the cross procession, prayer, blessing of the waters; - through learning the history of the rite in the schools, both musical and general education; - by means of demonstrating a video produced by Mahilioŭ Regional Methodological Center of Folklore Art And Cultural Education together with the Mahiĺioŭ 1 TV channel; - through publishing calendars with photographs of the holiday