The nationwide harvest festival Dažynki is oncoming and if you happen to be in Belarus, don’t get surprised by odd hay figures, lots of flags here and there and numerous fairs. It’s a time of happy songs and merriment, folks! Although Dažynki was celebrated by all Slavic nations, in Belarus, we managed to preserve many of its pagan traits and unique features. In pre-Christian times it was a cult of fertility, agriculture and nature. In later years celebrations were held in churches, with thanksgiving masses for generous crops.The holiday survived until present times and is now a combination of Christian and pagan traditions and rituals. Let’s cut to the chase and immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of festivity. Then: As the harvest time greatly depends on climate it was celebrated on different days in different regions of Belarus. Although some researchers believe that there was a set date, that is August 15 (28 Gregorian calendar). As with most other traditional festival