The 17th of August
Today is the Day of Thanksgiving to Mother-Earth. (It’s the day when people thank Mother-Earth for everything She gives to Her children. And because women are closer to Mother-Earth than men, they conduct some rites at that day.) The day began very early. At 4-30 am women gathered together and walked singing psalms to the holy spring of Seven Springs. The ancient Slavs (the ancient Slavs were forefathers of modern Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians) performed here their rites of God praising. Later Christians came here to baptize babies. Here seven springs flow together and turn into one spring. This spring doesn’t freeze even in strong winter frost. Our women came here singing psalms, praising God and Mother-Earth. Here a mystery of ablution took place. The water of this spring gives joy, beauty, attraction and health to women. Our women washed themselves; those who wished could take off clothes and dip into the string, and get strength from Mother-Earth. It seemed that water caressed belles washing them. After the sacrament near the holy spring we went to the Temple Of Blessing, there was a Liturgy of Thanksgiving to Mother-Earth there. After the Liturgy in the hand-made Temple we went to the natural Temple on the Island and addressed to Mother-Earth as Her loving children. At 11 am here on the Island a rite of Thanksgiving (Wedding) was. And then parents of new-born children could get life blessing for their children. As the priest Sergey said the most favorable time for life blessing for new-born children is when they are 3 months old or till 7-8 months old. |
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Unfortunately, today the weather again let us down. The morning was a little cool and sometimes the sun looked out of clouds, but to the lunch time clouds covered the whole sky and rain began. At 3 pm there was a concert of sacred music in the Temple of Blessing, we were going there already in the downpour.
To come into The Temple everybody has to take off their shoes, this rule works here always and for everybody. (In general, there is a rule here always to take off your shoes when you come into any house, this way you show your respect to the masters and to the atmosphere of the house. Because every house is a temple, too, which was built by efforts of people who live in it.). The rain was so strong that while we were taking off our shoes to make a step into the Temple, we got wet through. But the concert was worthy of not paying attention on those small discomforts.
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The Temple was full of people; they sat on the carpet or stood near walls. I came in and stood near a pillar. Both young and well-known artists (like Tatiana Alytskaya and Diorisiy) took part in the concert. There were musicians from Estonia – the girl by name Piya played on cannele. Angelic, divine music! Then she and a young man sang a song in Estonian.
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At the evening there was a bardic concert, we listened to the locals and those who came from Krasnoyarsk. The audience sang with Oleg Potulov from Petropavlovka:
“What can build a bridge through Eternity? – Only love!
What can be higher than sky and stars? – Only love!”
Well-known bards were there: Anton Ovanesyan, Sveta Abramenko, Sergey Shumanskiy, Valeriy Obozinskiy and many others.
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On the left and middle photo Diorisiy helped to fix instruments for the bardic concert. On the right - the first and only one photo of Diorisiy with a web-designer of his site.
Because of downpour the concert was on the second floor of the Gallery “Blagovest” (“Toll”). Before the concert we could admire and buy paintings of local painters. Two new paintings of Vissarion were exhibited there for viewing, too: new version of the painting “Love” and a portrait of Gypsy girl “Arnella”.
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Today the concert of folk music was due to be on the open stage near the Gallery “Blagovest”, but because of downpour it was cancelled.
