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Sleep benefits

Going without sleep is nothing to brag about. Sleep is vital for keeping your brain functioning and your mental health sound. While you’re asleep your brain sorts through the memories you formed during the day, strengthening the important ones. A good night’s sleep also helps maintain communication between the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that deals with self-control, and the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, which work together to keep your emotions in check.

Importance of sleep

Fit and healthy

Staying fit and healthy

Healthcare in Britain

Belarus is My Homeland

About Belarus

Belarus is a hospitable country


Belarus is My Homeland.Lesson plan.

Celebrities Who Are Belarusians

Did you know that lots of world celebrities have Belarusian blood running through their veins? We bet you did, but let’s gather them all together (at least most of them) to admire and be proud of. Here is a list of the most high-profile celebrities who in one way or another have Belarusian roots.

 

Gwyneth Paltrow

An American actress, singer, and food writer was born in Los Angeles, California.Her father Bruce Paltrow was from a Jewish family who immigrated from Poland, Lithuania, Russia, and Belarus.Paltrow is keeping in touch with her roots. “I am the result of generations and generations of rabbis back in Minsk. They call it a rabbinical dynasty,” she said in one of her interviews.

 

Paul Landers

German musician, notable as guitarist for Rammstein band is one of the most elusive Belarusians.According to one of the legends, Paul was born in Brest (at least this is what Wikipedia and other sources said).However, in all his interviews Landers denies any connections with Belarus and says he was born in East Berlin.He also claims that he learned Russian only because he had lived in Moscow for some time.Just saying, Landers secretly visited Minsk last September and even walked along Zybickaja street.

 

Steven Tyler and Liv Tyler

The lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith and as a result his daughter Liv Tyler (an American actress and model) had ancestors in Klichev, Mogilev region. Some sources say that after immigrating to America, Steven Tyler’s maternal grandfather felt that his original surname ‘Czarnyszewicz’ is too difficult for the ears of the New World resident and changed it to ‘Blancha’.

 

Amy Winehouse

An extensive family tree of English jazz, soul and R&B singer and songwriter traces her ancestors back to Belarus in the 1800s.Amy Winehouse’s family came to London from Minsk in the late nineteenth century, and she grew up in a secular and assimilated Jewish environment.The Jewish Museum London opened an exhibit in 2013, which delved into her family history as far back as her great-great-grandfather’s immigration from Belarus, in 1890.

 

Harrison Ford

Known for his legendary roles in Indiana Jones film series and Star Wars, the actor was born in Chicago. True, his grandparents are from Belarus who emigrated from Minsk to New York at the beginning of the last century.Ford himself spoke about his ancestors, on the eve of the premiere of the next Indiana Jones film back in 2008.The actor specified, his parents met in America but lived close to each other long before immigration.

 

Scarlett Johansson

One of the most popular, beautiful and world’s highest-paid actresses, Scarlett Johansson spoke about her Belarusian origin at the press conference in Moscow in 2012.Back then she said that her mother was originally from Minsk. The meticulous historians later found out that the star’s great-grandfather and great-grandmother actually lived in Nesvizh.The super-star promised to come to her historic homeland. Well, what can we say, we are still waiting.

 

Kirk and Michael Douglas

One of the most famous and titled actors of the dream factory also has Belarusian roots. His father Kirk Douglas was born in a family of emigrants from Chausy, Mogiliov region.According to Michael Douglas’ memoirs, there were pictures of another famous Belarusian Mark Chagall hanging above his father’s bed. The father of the Oscar-winning actor used to recall his historic homeland, however, his son has never managed to come there.

Read more here

Great Natives of Belarus

Easter in Belarus

 Easter is the most important holiday in the Christian world. In Belarus, it had been celebrated since the Middle Ages. Back then the folk customs mingled with the Christian one creating a mixture that has survived till these days. Easter or Vialikdzień (in Belarusian)  literally means a big or great day. The same name of the holiday is used in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Macedonia. Western Slavs – Poles, Czechs, and Slovaks – use the ‘great night’ name. Easter in Belarus is a moveable feast – every year it can fall between 22 March and 25 April. A big part of Christians celebrate it according to Julian (old style) calendar, which is usually ‘delayed’ by two weeks.

The date of Easter also depends on the full moon calendar (first Sunday after the full moon). Sometimes Belarusian Catholics and Orthodox celebrate on the same day, sometimes on two different. This year Catholic Easter is on the 21rst of April, the Orthodox Easter is a week later, on the 28th.

The Great day is always preceded by a ‘clean week’. This is the week of spiritual preparations, cleaning and cooking. It officially starts on a previous Sunday, which is called Palm Sunday. Since in Belarus palms don’t grow, the holiday is called after a willow tree. After blessing willow catkins twigs in church churchgoers lash each wishing good health with the words: “willow lashes, not me”. On clean Monday Belarusians took care of their house exteriors and gardens. Clean Tuesday was reserved for the inside housework —they were scrubbing, sweeping and cleaning up. Wednesday was devoted to cleaning wooden tools, especially those used for making ‘holy’ bread. On Clean Thursday, people tried to finish all the chores and wash up before dawn to be healthy and clean all year. Our ancestors believed that morning bathing cleansed from all the sins. In former times, they plunged into rivers and lakes, no matter how cold it was outside. On Friday, one shouldn’t work, drink alcohol or eat anything besides bread and water. It was a day of mourning, remembrance of the Passion of Christ, his procession to Calvary, crucifixion and death on the cross. These days most city dwellers don’t know the details and nuances of the holiday. Some follow their inner calendar and rituals intuitively, others just wait for another weekend. For believers, the whole week is a preparation for Christ’s resurrection and a spiritual way to be cleansed of their sins. Saturday was a day of cooking. Every family boiled and painted eggs, the symbol of fertility and Easter holiday. They were usually painted with onion shells and decorated with ornaments.

In traditional stoves, women cooked bread called ‘vielikodnyja bulki’ (Easter buns) or ‘pirahi’. They were white, flavorless, crispy and with or without raisins. Buns, eggs and other food were taken to church for blessing on beautifully decorated towels.  Religious people went to churches, where according to the orthodox traditions, there was an all-night mass commemorating Jesus’s death on the cross. Before going to sleep, a light in one of the rooms was left burning to symbolize being vigil and watchful. As at present, some might limit their cooking to boiled eggs. While some use onion shells, beet, turmerich and other natural colours, othes paint their eggs with commercial substitutes. Easter buns can also be bought at any store.

Sundays breakfast (‘vielikodnaje razhaviennie’ literally means getting oneself stuffed) was a culmination and actual celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The feast started with boiled eggs and other blessed foods, including meat and salt, which were now allowed after a long period of fasting.  Children played egg-games, one of them is ‘bitki’. They hit each other’s egg from both sides, the one that remained untouched was a winner and its owner took the loser’s egg. Or they rolled eggs from a stilted piece of bark, the egg that hit those at the bottom allowed the lucky winner to grab the touched ones. One of the most interesting customs related to the Easter cycle was ‘Valačobnictva’ usually carried out by men.  Valačobniki were a group of people roaming from hut to hut, singing songs and playing traditional instruments, such as a duda (Belarusian bagpipe) and violin. This ritual united the community together and was a nice way of wishing a host’s family good luck.  To thank the guests the family gave them a few Easter eggs, Easter bread, homemade sausages, moonshine or a little money. 

Monday was a forefather’s day dedicated to the commemoration of the deceased ancestors.

For some time people greeted each other with the words “Christ’s resurrected”, and saying “Indeed resurrected” in reply.

The Great Day and Great Week symbolized the beginning of a traditional cycle before the Christian calendar was adopted. ’Vialikdzień’ marked the beginning of field works and spring holidays, such as ‘radunica’ (spring version of All Saints’ Day) and the pagan holiday of Jurja (Slavic equivalent of Saint George’s Day). Gregorian calendar (new style) was designed in 1582 to change the date of Easter, which fell further away from the spring equinox with each year. The change has never been accepted by most Orthodox churches.

Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on fire

A fire that devastated Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of Paris was brought under control by firefighters in the early hours of Tuesday morning, though officials warned there were still residual fires to put out. Thousands of Parisians watched in horror from behind police cordons as a ferocious blaze devastated Notre Dame Cathedral on Monday night, destroying its spire and a large part of the roof. An investigation has been opened by the prosecutor’s office, but police said it began accidentally and may be linked to building work at the cathedral. The 850-year-old gothic masterpiece had been undergoing restoration work. More

St/ Valentine`s Day

 

Watch the videos and be ready to tell about the tradition of St. Valentine`s Day.

Video 1
Video 2

Saint Valentine’s Day History

  We celebrate Valentine’s Day every February 14th. The story of Valentine’s Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor Claudius II and a humble Christian priest Valentine. Claudius declared it unlawful for young men to marry. He seen the king wanted them to be solders in faraway lands. He thought that if the young men were married would worry about their families back home and so wouldn’t make very good warriors. Valentine disobeyed the king and secretly married many young couples. When Claudius found out about it he sent Valentine to prison. According to legend, during his imprisonment, Saint Valentine healed the daughter of his jailer, Julia. Before his execution the bishop passed her a note signed «From your Valentine» as a farewell. So now on each February 14, Saint Valentine’s Day, messages of affection and devotion are exchanged around the world. An estimated one billion cards sent each year, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.

There are different legends about this traditions:

Story #1

According to a Roman legend, during the third century, a man named Valentinus was imprisoned for his Christian beliefs and sentenced to death by execution. While jailed, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer’s blind daughter. The night before Valentinus was sentenced to execution, he wrote a note to the jailer’s daughter saying, “From Your Valentine.” Valentinus was executed on Feb. 14, 269 A.D.

Story #2

Legends say that Valentinus was killed for trying to help persecuted Christians escape Roman prisons.

Story #3

In the third century Roman Emperor Claudius II desided that single men made better soldiers. Naturally the emperor outlawed young men from marrying. One prist, Valentine by name, argued against that order and kept performing marriages. Claudius soon had him executed for going against his commands.

Story #4

In the fifth century legends said that Romans honored Juno (the pagan goddess of love and marriage). On February 14, a man would pick a woman’s name out from a box and later court her for marriage. Around the time frame of 498 A.D. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as the official St. Valentine’s Day to honor the martyr Valentine and to ultimately end the pagan celebration of Juno.

Which story do you believe more?