Lukashenko: The "Alexandria Gathers Friends" festival has transformed from a small celebration into an event of international scale

The "Alexandria Gathers Friends" festival has grown from a small, cozy celebration into an event of international scale. This was stated by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at the republican festival "Kupalye" ("Alexandria Gathers Friends"), as reported by a BELTA correspondent.

The head of state noted that July has become a kind of Slavic cultural month: these days "Kupalye" is celebrated in Alexandria, and a week later "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk" will take place.

"And everywhere the talk is about Slavdom. Although today both "Alexandria" and our festival in Vitebsk have long ceased to be purely Slavic. More than ten countries have come here. More than 30 states of the planet will come to "Slavianski Bazaar". This confirms my thesis that this is no longer a Slavic bazaar. But still, it all started from here," the President said.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that for today's generations, the Dnieper is perceived as an ordinary river, but in ancient times it was a real waterway. "That road, along which, according to many historians, our ancestors moved from the south. Here they saw their lives as freer. There, they were probably oppressed well. And from there, from under Kyiv, from the Danube, as many specialists say, our ancestors moved here to the north. Therefore, the Dnieper River is a special river. And it is good that our generation has revived this beautiful tradition in these Kupalye days to gather on the banks of the ancient Dnieper and remind not only about the Dnieper," the head of state emphasized.

"And for 15 years now, we have been gathering in this picturesque corner of Belarus to feel the connection of times for a moment. In such a short period, we have created a festival that, as I have already said, has grown from a small, cozy holiday into an event of national and international scale. Nevertheless, it has not lost its name of a cozy holiday. There is indeed a special atmosphere here, but we have also preserved the coziness," stated Alexander Lukashenko.

The President noted that the festival has become a place of attraction for creative people and true admirers of the original Slavic culture from all over Belarus and from other states.

"We didn't plan for such a scale a long time ago. But people themselves were drawn here. It's a call of the soul. It's a striving for true values, for a place where guests are sincerely welcomed, where the pulse of vibrant creative life beats," the Belarusian leader stated.

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