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This sweet Vitebsk corner


Interestingly, it was cherries that became the Glubokoye brand, and not the famous condensed milk in a bluish-white jar. It turns out that in the 20-30s of the 19th century, the plant breeder Boleslav Lapyr brought out his own winter-hardy varieties of cherries, hybrids of sweet and ordinary cherries, which were distinguished by juicy and large fruits. Since then, these trees have been planted in every yard in Glubokoye, and the fact that Glubokoye cherries are the most delicious has long been generally recognised.


The history of the festival begins in 2012, when the project took second place in the final of the republican competition of creative works for the development of cities and regions of the Republic of Belarus. The sweet festival launched the process of returning the honorary title of ‘Garden City’ to Glubokoye, and, as the 10-year festival experience shows, quite successfully. In 2013, the Cherry sculpture was installed in the city, which is a symbol of the festival and the main attraction for interested tourists and residents of the Glubokoye District.

The current festival began with a prestige meeting at the residence of the Cherry Queen. There, guests could send branded postcards with a festive stamp to their relatives and friends, conveying greetings from the cherry capital. While some were doing mail, others were shooting at the target with giant cherry stones. The winner in this competition was a guest from Minsk, by the way, the travel agency organised a tour to Glubokoye for those who wished to visit the city, which Minsk residents really liked. Employees of the local House of Crafts invited guests to master classes in straw weaving and making dolls from threads. Guests were offered an ethnic party In the Cherry Orchard, an intellectual adventure quest, a kite contest, a solemn procession. There was so much to see! The Chinese artist Pan Wuliji held a master class on watercolour painting for students of the art school, and everyone could visit an exhibition of his works.

It was impossible to try all sorts of cherries and sweets from them: cookies, pies, sweets in the form of berries for every taste. You could not only taste the culinary inventions of the hostesses, but also learn a lot of interesting recipes during the tasting contest Cook Cherry Jam Together. Not only the owners and organisations of the region diligently prepared for the holiday, but also the Glubokoye Meat Processing Plant, which annually prepares new meat products for the festival. This year, they presented dry-cured chopped ‘Glubokoye Tartar’ with cherries. A product from the elite series is made from freshly cooled beef, which, after salting, is seasoned with hot spices and fresh or dried berries. After that, the meat product is smoked with smoke from burning beech chips, and the fragrant delicacy is ready to decorate any holiday table.

One of the most sincere traditions of the festival is a ‘cherry’ wedding, and a real one at that! Newlyweds often choose distinctive dates for themselves, and for Daria German and Andrei Sanko, their family’s birthday coincided with the anniversary festival. The solemn ceremony of marriage was traditionally held on the shore of Lake Kagalnoye in the park of the newlyweds. The hostess of the holiday, the Cherry Queen, sent her congratulations and gifts to the new family, and it was this ceremony that became the 100th for the local registry office. And in just two festival days, 10 families were ‘born’ in the Glubokoye District.

Professionals and self-taught students of two age categories, not only from Belarus, but also from neighbouring countries, took part in the international competition for the best mastery of the button accordion, accordion and harmonica. The main prize, a brand new ‘cherry’ button accordion, was given to Polina Sinyavskaya, a student of the Glubokoye Children’s Art School, which means that the button accordion has again remained in Glubokoye. The first Cherry Mosaic, an exhibition-competition of works made in the patchwork technique, was held at the anniversary celebration.

In other words, for two days the sweet capital of the Vitebsk Region turned into a colourful town filled with dances and ringing songs, leaving a memorable cherry taste on the lips of each festival participant.

Aleksandra GVOZDEVA

Photo by Yelizaveta GOLOD

Выбар рэдакцыі

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