23. Work in pairs. At the airport a Westerner and our countryman are talking about the most popular sightseeing of Belarus. Take part in this conversation and share your opinion with partners.

• So, you’re going to visit Belarus, right?

• That’s right. We arrive there Tuesday morning and we already have the hotel “Minsk” booked for Tuesday night.

• You know, Minsk itself is worth looking around – a new National Library…

• And do you recommend anywhere special to see while we’re there?

• I strongly recommend to walk through Trinity suburb, that preserved small streets and peaceful houses of the past times……

• That seems the best thing to do. And … where does the city’s name come from?

• Several researchers think the name comes most probably from a small river Menka, not existing by now or from the crossroad of trading ways which Minsk was at the time.

• People say that Minsk is most beautiful at night.

• Yeah… the lights bring new image of the city, making the architecture shine secret lines and shades that cannot be seen during the day. And how long do you think to stay in the capital?

• Two or three days will be probably enough.

• And from there?

• We’d like to go to Zhirovichi…. Is it a pretty place?

• It is a sacred place. The Monastery of Zhirovichi has always been the spiritual center of Christian Belarus. There you could touch the icon of Virgin Mary, walk around the Monastery.

• ……….

• ……....

• Great! Thank you very much for your help.

• You’re welcome. I hope you have a great trip!

24. Work in pairs. Look through the following text and render it to your deskmate.

Ask him/her if this view on our country is typical.

Eyeballing belarus

Tim Bryan is a journalist working with the Guardian. He regularly travels worldwide to assess popular and lesser known tourist destinations, informing his readers of his findings. Recently he decided to pay Belarus a visit – a country almost undiscovered by British tourists. In his view, Belarus has some definite attractions. He was particularly enchanted by our forests and log cabins; deep in the woods, it’s easy to relax – undisturbed by anything or anybody. Escapist tourism is becoming quite popular among ecology-minded Westerners.

Mr. Bryan also praises Minsk’s modern architecture. He asserts that Western tourists are fed up with ‘noble ruins’ since castles can be found in abundance throughout Europe. Rather than looking at ‘glorious has-beens’, people want to experience modern lifestyles. Since Minsk is a living relic of the sunken Soviet Atlantis, having been destroyed in WWII and rebuilt purely by Soviet canons, it’s a unique destination. Minsk is relatively crime free – unlike many other post-Soviet capitals. If British tourists can be persuaded to travel to Belarus for their holidays, they’ll bring in very welcome amounts of revenue.

25. Quiz “Do you know the history of motherland?”

1. The term “Belaya Rus” was used for the first time? a) 13th century; b) 12th century; c) 14 th century.	7. In 1224 Neswizh was first mentioned in the chronicles a) as a small settlement; b) as a trade center; c) as a town with strong fortifications.
2. The ancestors of the Belarusians lived in the Basins of a) the Dnieper and the Zapadnaya Dvina rivers where they grew rice and fished; b) the Dnieper and the Zapadnaya Dvina rivers where they hunted, fished and farmed; c) the Dnieper and the Bug rivers where they grew cotton and hunted.	8. The Brama that had several functions: a chapel, a customs house and city guards, was built in a) Polotsk; b) Slutsk; c) Mir.
3. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania a) helped to form a new state in the second half of the 13th century; b) annexed Belarus in the second half of the 13th century; c) annexed Belarus in the second half of the 12th century.	9. What lake is often called “Belarusian Sea”? a) Narach Lake, b) Braslave Lakes, c) the Blue Lakes.
4. The oldest Orthodox Church in the country is a) the Sophia Cathedral; b) Saint Savior Church, founded by venerable Yevfrosiniy of Polotsk; c) The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Gomel.	10. This territory is treated as a place for rest, a biosphere reserve and the National park. a) Belavezhskaya Pushcha; b) the Blue Lakes; c) Naliboki Forest.
5. Who was born in the Trinity Suburb in Minsk? a) Yanka Kupala; b) Maksim Bagdanovish; c) Yakub Kolas.	11. The most spectacular project repsenting Vitebsk is a) the festival of medieval culture; b) the All-Belarusian festival of humor; c) the annual international music festival “Slaviansky Bazaar”.
6. This vivid example of gigantomania in the architecture was built in 1938. It was a) the National Academy of Sciences; b) the National Opera and Ballet Theatre; c) the Museums of Arts.

26. Work in groups. Show your knowledge of Belarusians traditions. Read and decide which of the following characteristic features belong to each of the given folk feasts. Do these folk feasts have similar traits?

Write your version of one of these feasts.

The Ivan Kupala Night

Kalyady

Our forefathers gave us some essential knowledge that makes us believe that if a young man and a girl jump over the highest of all flames hand in hand they will live a long and happy life together.

While girls play with wreaths and tell their fortune, young men start making fires.

Girls also stick some burning candles into their wreaths and make bets whose wreath remains on the surface longer.

This night is always filled with miracles: you may hear the whisper of herbs and see mermaids, watch trees change places and witness the bright light of the blossoming fern flower.

It is a sin to sleep in the shortest night of the year, as there are plenty of other things to do: read fortune, jump over the fire….

How did our forefathers start the day?

One of them bears the star, the others sing songs.

Each person within the groups of young people in the celebrations has some role according to his character and temperament.

The feast of fire, water and loved filled me the certainty that life is given to all of us for happiness, joy and love.

Amateur musicians play an accordion or beat a tambourine.

Amateur actors wore the masks of Goats, Bears, Storks, Horses, Gypsies, and Old Men in performances.

The host and the hostess usually give generous gifts to the guests to thank them for the well-wishing, congratulations, and the singing and playing.

It is the when three ritual suppers (Kuttzya) are prepared in every Belarusian home. Our forefathers believed that “Kuttzya” (a sort of porridge, “kasha made from barely) was a symbol of immortality and the eternity of life.

During this period, Belarusians like to visit each other, to celebrate weddings, to arrange fairs.

By the way, it was at the fairs in the old days when strolling players and puppeteers gave their performances. Small puppet theatres called “Batleika” were popular in Belarus. They features stories from the Bible about Christ and his birth.

The main purpose of this folk feast is to get rid of everything that is bad, ill, dirty in one’s life and to begin a new life cycle, living with joy and optimism.