Festivals and Holidays
The Slavonic Theatrical Meetings, Minsk Spring, International Jazz Festival, National Harvesting Festival, "Arts for Children and Youth," "Youth Variety Show Arts Competition," "Muses of Nesvizh," "Mir Castle," and the National Festival of Belarusian Song and Poetry are just a few of the annual cultural events that the Belarusian government sponsors. Talented Belarusian performers from the fields of music, art, poetry, dance, and theater are featured in these events. Numerous awards for outstanding music or art are given out at these festivals and are named after Soviet and Belarusian heroes. Although modern nationalists contend that few of these sponsored events have anything to do with Belarusian culture, let alone culture in general, all of the events are governed by the Ministry of Culture of Belarus.
Many state holidays, like Independence Day or Victory Day, draw sizable crowds and feature a variety of spectacles, including military parades and pyrotechnics. Vitebsk or Minsk are where the majority of the festivities are held.
