First i'd like to say that Belarus has a rich and interesting culture.

The main part of

Belarus are Christians. That's why the main national holidays are connected with
Christians traditions. In addition to Christians holidays, national holidays are
celebrated in Belarus, which came from pagan traditions. The most important of
them are Kupalle and Maslenitsa. On these holidays people dance folk dances, sing
special songs, make folk rituals.
National holidays in Belarus are state and other holidays and commemorative days,
including religious holidays. Nine of them are non-working days- New year
,Orthodox Christmas,Women's day,Labor day ,Victory Day ,Independence, October
revolution day ,Catholic Christmas, day of the republic of Belarus.
And now I want to talk about a public holidays in Belarus.
There are several state holidays in Belarus such as Victory Day, Independence Day,
Women's Day, Defender's Day. Tree of them are non-working days- Victory Day,
Independence Day, Women's Day. Now I tell you about each of them.

The Independence Day

This day is celebrated on July 3 and marks the liberation of

Minsk in 1944 from fascist aggressors. On that day in all
country are hold parades and festivals. The main parade is
traditionally held in Minsk near the «Minsk- A Hero City»
monument at the Pobediteley Avenue.
 One of the most remarkable public events in
my country is the Victory Day. It is
traditionally celebrated on the 9th of May. This
Victory Day
holiday commemorates the victory over
Germany. Every year in honor of this day in all
cities across the country are hold lots of l
parades and celebrations. Despite the fact, that
the holiday is celebrated, with lots of fun, May
9 is a sad day for our population. Many people
have lost their loved ones and relatives during
the war. However we are grateful to our
ancestors, which sacrificed their lives for us.
That’s why we try to celebrate this day with
honors. In my opinion, the Victory Day is one
of the greatest holidays during the year. Some
of my ancestors also took part in the Great
Patriotic War of 1945, and I’m proud of them.
 International Women's Day

The 8th of March is a great holiday for all women. On this holiday men present
gifts and flowers to their beloved women. However gifts aren’t so important as
love and attention. So a present shouldn’t be huge or very expensive. Some men
bring breakfast in bed to their beloved women or clean the apartment before
holiday. I love this holiday because it symbolize the beginning of spring.
 The Defender's Day
Every year celebrate the Defender of the Fatherland and
Armed Forces day . This holiday falls on February 23 . The
history of this holiday began at 1918 when the Red Army have
won its battle near Narva. These first victories have become
the birthday of the Red Army. Today, it’s commonly known as
the father’s or all men’s day.
Nowadays this holiday has become like March 8. Women
celebrate men, they give different gifts to men and prepare
holiday dinner.
 Besides state holidays in Belarus are also celebrated religious holidays. It's such
holidays as Maslenitsa, Kupalle, Kaliady. But now I tell you about Maslenitsa and
Kupalle.
First I would like to tell about Maslenitsa.

Maslenitsa
This holiday means the end of the winter and
spring meeting. Maslenitsa is connected with
songs, festivities, folk competitions . People do
all these activities in order to awake spring from
the winter sleep . As usual this holiday is
connected with special ritual food such as
pancakes. Pancake has a shape of circle what
symbolize the sun.
 First I tell you about Kupalle.

Kupalle is one of the most loved and ancient holiday. It

is celebrated in the night from July 6 to July 7. The
holiday is dedicated to one of the most revered pagan
gods-the God of lands fertility- Kupala. The central
part of celebration was a fire. At first, young men
prepared a place for the fire. It could be a bank of the
river or a meadow. Then the youth started celebration
which was connected with singing, dancing and
jumping over the fire. It was believed that it would
help people break free from diseases and evil eye.
The main event of this holiday is searching for the a
mythical Paparac-kvetka. People believe if person find
this flower, this lucky person would live happily.
 I have a lot of favorite holidays. Moreover I like state and religious holidays. But mu favorite
is a New Years Day.
The first holiday of the year is New Year's Day. People see the new year in at midnight on the
31st of December. They greet the new year with champagne and listen to the President
Message .
There are lots of New Year traditions in Belarus. In every home there is a New Year tree
glittering with colored lights and decorations. Children always wait for Father Frost to come
and give them a present. Many people consider New Year's Day to be a family holiday. But the
young prefer to have New Year parties of their own.
People wish each other good health and good luck for the coming year.
 In conclusion I'd like to say that all holidays have their own distinctive feature. I love
all holidays, because each of them have its own beauty. Religious and state holidays has
its own history, they are all connected with any historical event. Religious holidays were
invented to have fun, and when we celebrate it now, we enjoy themselves.