Lukashenko: Alexandria Gathers Friends has grown into international festival
Alexandria Gathers Friends has turned from a small cozy event into an international festival, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the national festival Kupala Night (Alexandria Gathers Friends).
The head of state noted that July has become a kind of month of Slavic culture: Kupala Night in Alexandria will be followed by Slavianski Bazaar that will kick off in Vitebsk in a week.
"They are all about the Slavic culture. Although both Alexandria and the festival in Vitebsk have long ceased to be solely Slavic. Representatives of more than ten countries have come here. More than 30 countries will be featured at Slavianski Bazaar. This confirms my thesis that this is no longer a Slavic bazaar. But all the same, it all started from here," the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that today's generations perceive the Dnieper as an ordinary river, but in ancient times it was a true waterway. "The waterway that brought, as many historians say, our ancestors from the south. Here they felt their lives were freer. They were probably heavily oppressed there. Our ancestors moved up to the north from Kiev, from the Danube, as many experts say. Therefore, the Dnieper River is a special river. It is good that our generation has revived this wonderful tradition to gather during these Kupala days on the banks of the ancient Dnieper," the head of state stressed.
"For 15 years now, we have been gathering in this picturesque corner of Belarus to feel the connection of times. In such a short period of time, the event has turned from a small cozy gathering into a national and international festival. However, it has not lost its coziness feel. There is a really special atmosphere here, but we have preserved a feeling of coziness too," Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
The president noted that the festival has become a place of attraction for creative people and true fans of the original Slavic culture from all over Belarus and from other countries.
