Lesson 2, Ex.2c

A: But from time to time water can bring a lot of troubles and become the cause of some local disasters. Almost every spring rain showers and a sudden rise in temperature result in melting of massive amounts of snow. It leads to flooding in some parts of the country. This most often takes place in the north-west of Belarus and in Polesie District since these territories are influenced by the Desna, the Dnieper and the Pripyat River. Besides Polesie District is known for its numerous swamps. They make the situation in the region even more complicated.

For example in spring 2010 a lot of houses in Polesie were flooded. About 200 emergency workers were involved in rescue operations. According to news reports, the flooded rivers caused some damage in small cities along their banks destroying several bridges and boat stations.

Since the spring flood is a common problem for the neighbouring countries Belarus, Ukrain and Russia have to cooperate to help the victims.

Lesson 4, ex.2b, 3а

H-Helen, S-Sandra

S: Helen, hi!

H: Hello, Sandra. How are you doing?

S: Oh, I’m all right! Glad you are back! How was your trip?

H: Oh, it was amazing. Would you like to come over to my place for tea? I can tell you about my holidays and show some pictures.

S: Sounds nice!

…

H: Here, take a seat and help yourself to the cake.

S: Yumm, a banana cake! It’s my favourite. … Now, tell me all! How was it?

H: It was a really good holiday. Though some of you told me it would be cold there, the weather was just lovely, not too hot with lots of sunshine, though a bit humid at times. But generally it wasn’t much different in Belarus from what we have here in Toronto.

S: Oh, I don’t care much about the weather! Tell me about IT!

H: Ok, ok. So, you know my mum comes from Belarus and her sister with her family live there. It was my cousin Dasha who got married last weekend. Now, I’ll just switch on my i-pad and show you the picture.

So, here’s my cousin Dasha. That was the day before the wedding. She and her fiancé met me at the airport and drove me to my aunt’s apartment. And Dasha stayed in this apartment too. Here, look! It’s her wedding gown.

S: It’s beautiful!

H: Yep! So and here’s Dasha in the morning before her wedding. And her maid of honour.

S: Did she have only one maid?

H: Yes, in Belarus they have one maid of honour and one best man. And now look at this. The buyout of the bride.

S: A what???

H: Buy-out of the bride. Come on! I know that some of the traditions can look amusing and even weird from an outsider’s viewpoint, but they all have a long history. Can you guess what a buyout is?

S: The groom gives all his money to the bride’s parents and becomes a broke?

H: Oh, don’t be silly. In this ceremony the groom should undergo several “tests” in which he demonstrates his intellect and strength. For every mistake in the task the fiancé pays money or sweets. The prize for the completion of these tests is the bride.

S: What sort of tests?

H: Something funny. For example to sing or dance for the bride, or to tell everyone how much he loves her. Look at this. This is Alex, Dasha’s groom. He’s trying to find a shoe for his bride. It was hidden in one of those ten boxes.

S: Did he find it fast?

H: Not really. First he got an old grandpa’s slipper from the first box and then a pair of baby-shoes in the second.

S: He-he! It’s hilarious! Just look at his face!

H: Yes, he was disappointed! Here are Dasha and Alex in the registration office.

S: They look awesome! And very happy!

H: That’s true!

S: And what is it that they are standing on? A towel?

H: You’re right. It’s a special towel called padnozhnik. The bride and groom stand on it during the wedding ceremony. The wedding towel marks the pathway the new couple will follow on their journey into a new life together. There is another tradition. Sometimes the wrists of the bride and groom are tied together with a towel called rushnik as a symbol of the life-long bond. Both padnozhnik and rushnik have beautiful traditional ornaments. I bought one for my wedding too.

S: This picture is nice. The place was very well-decorated.

H: That’s true. And here’s another ceremony. It’s bread-and-salt welcome and breaking a glass for luck.

S: I saw this bred-and-salt ceremony when I went on a business trip to Russia. It’s for welcoming guests.

H: Right. But at the wedding the parents of the just married welcome them to their new life. The newlyweds snap off a piece of bread. According to the saying, the one who has the bigger piece will be the head of the family. The parents also gave them the glasses that the couple should throw over their left shoulder to scare off the devil. According to a superstitious belief the devil is hiding on our left side, so by breaking the glasses the newlyweds scare it away so that it will not follow them in their future life.

S: Oh, I like this! And that’s another rushnik tradition?

H: See, now you even remember the word! Yes, there is a superstition that the guests should give their presents straight to the newlyweds. They put all the gifts on the rushnik since their presents are not only for the bride or the groom, but to a new family.

S: That’s so interesting and so different from what we usually see here. I here we see some folk dancing!

H: Not really. It’s one more ceremony. It’s the “initiation into wives”. After the wedding husband’s mother takes a veil off the bride and put on a headscarf instead. It symbolizes the beginning of a new life – the married life. And the bride dances with her maid of honour and other unmarried female guests. They try on the bride’s veil. It’s believed that they will soon find their future husband and get married too.

S: Oh, this is you dancing in the veil. It suits you well! Are you going to wear a veil at your wedding?

H: Sure. And I’ve decided to introduce some of Belarusian wedding traditions at our wedding as well. I told you that I bought some rushniks and …