Robert 2009

Already whole year of lifes behind for Robert ...
January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

 October

 

November

December

Father and family

Create some holiday magic!

I try ideas for decorating around the house and to create gifts for relatives with Christmas ornaments from Internet "Better Homes and Gardens"

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/new-years/

New year is the most expected holiday for our people and is celebrated always with the big range. I recollect the childhood when all family gathered in the parent house of my father or mother.  Decorated a fir-tree put star on and hung up on it a sweet and tangerines together with toys. We so rejoiced, when to us allowed to take from a fir-tree a tangerine or a sweet ...

How nice! I like this ideas of packing gift beautifully - www.liveinternet.ru

Get holiday inspiration for your home!

Soon we shall start to prepare for New Year and Cristmas...

The New Year is always connected with our new plans and dreams!
I'd like to say a few words about best moment of the New Year's Day.
People stay awake until after midnight on December 31st to watch the Old Year out and the New Year in. 
At 12 o'clock we are sitting at the table and say "Best wishes for the New Year".
It is a pleasant moment to get presents on the New Year.
In New Year's night the Ded Moroz /Grandpa Frost/ comes to children and puts presents under the tree. 
Many parties are given on this night.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ded_Moroz 

What astrologers advise in next year?
2010 is year of the Tiger and time of unexpected events.
As this year is the tiger, in all must be present "tiger" color - yellow-red with black strip.
In new year's menu must be meat, color of drink must be orange and amber .
The garbs must be with strips to look like ruler of the new year.
Meet the New 2010 with hope!

In Belarus Christmas is celebrated on the 25 of December or on the 7th of January. 
This discrepancy of the celebration of Christmas connected with that that row of Orthodox churches use Julian calendar / where 25 of December corresponds to 7 of January Gregorian calendar /. 
In my country Orthodox church celebrates Christmas on the 7th of January. 
Christmas is a traditional family reunion day. On this day, many people attend a church service, open their presents and eat a Christmas dinner.
But we like to have two rest days 25 and 7!
 
The oldest and most popular Christmas websites on the Internet for children 
http://www.claus.com/village.php 
Christmas is a time for Families, Fun, and Festivities!
http://www.holidays.net/christmas/
http://www.santaclaus.com/

Second anniversary of our wedding!

My husband, Neal and I visited my mum on Sunday. This was not usual day for us,
it is a second anniversary of our wedding.

We had diner all together with Mum, Valentina, sister, Natasha, her husband, Sergey ,

my sons, Arteom, Robert and cat.

Robert has occupied all attention of Mum and Natasha, which tried his feed.

 

 Mum took off from shelf all old household photo and whole evening we have devoted to history.  Nothing be able remain forgotten … and not for anyone ...

And certainly thank you ma , reminded of light, lucky and forgotten childhood!

Here is the sweet heart what Neal bring for me from trip to this date.

Thank you dear husband!

 

Big thank you!

HB 2009!

I and my husband Neal were in Minsk today and visitted my cousin Tatiyna.
Tatiyana presented me jacket, which has done their own hand.

She much hurried to do the gift to my arrival.
Big thank you, dear sister!











Thank you Jeannette for congratulation Happy birthday!

Natasha, Sergey, Mum and Arteom congratulated me today!

Today with visit came my sister Natasha with husband Sergey, Mum and Arteom

 / certainly my birthday became cause /.

Natasha and Sergey married this year July 11.

Robert was glad to receive too much attention.

My elder son Arteom congratulated me too.

History of Belarus (short description)

The first written document of the Belarusian statehood goes far back as 980 AD, when Prince Rogvold began his reign on Polotsk lands which are the historic and religious center of the Belarusian nation and culture. The formation of the features of Belarusan people began in the Polotsk Principality. The young and growing state made close trade ties with German cities and with the neighbouring eastern and southern Scandinavian principalities. On the Polotsk territory under the influence of local cultural views the traditions of Byzantine architecture were revaluated and as a result the outstanding Polotsk architecture school emerged in the 12th century.

From the 13th till the 16th century the territory of contemporary Belarus was the center of a medieval polyethnic state-Grand Duchy of Litva. The Grand Duchy of Litva which is sometimes called by historians Belarusan-Lithuanian state was one of the largest, most powerful and flourishing states in medieval Eastern Europe. The lands of contemporary Belarus, Lithuania, Ukraine and a part of Russia comprised this state. The large role of ethnic Belarusans in this state is proved by the fact that the state language in the Grand Duchy of Litva was Belarusan.

The period that started in the 15th century, when the crusader's expansion was crushed in the west, and lasted until the middle of the 17th century, when Moscow launched its widescale aggression, is considered the Golden age in Belarusan history. In this period there was a wide growth of old and the foundation of many new cities and towns. There occurred significant evolutionary processes in the culture and economy of Belarusan people. A number of historic facts provide evidence for that. In 1517 the great Belarusan scholar from Polotsk Doctor Francisc Skaryna published the Bible in the Belarusan language. Thus the Belarusans became the third nation after Germans and Czechs that had a printed Bible in their native language. In 1588 the third edition of Grand Duchy Statute came out. It was a comprehensive and elaborate state code of laws that stood above the local legal norms. Written in the Belarusan language it was the only full code of laws in Europe since the Roman Law and until the Napoleonic Code adopted in 1804. The above historic facts prove the Grand Duchy of Litwa to have been a major political and cultural center in Eastern Europe at that time.
Grand Duchy of Litva-Belarusan-Lithuanian State in 13-16 centuries.
In 1569 the Grand Duchy of Litva and the Polish Kingdom established a political union according to which the Litva-Poland confederation- Rzecz Pospolita-emerged. As a result of three divisions of Rzecz Pospolita in 1772, 1793 and 1795 between three empires - Russia, Austria and Prussia - the Belarusan lands were incorporated into the Russian Empire. So the third division of Rzecz Pospolita in 1795 practically stopped the development of Belarusan statehood for more than 100 years.
RzeczPospolita - a political union of the Grand Duchy of Litwa and the Polish Kingdom in 16 to 18 centuries.
Belarusans under the Russian rule did not want to lead slave's lives.
In 1794 on the territory of contemporary Poland, Belarus and Lithuania a national liberation uprising broke out. It was headed by Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Lithuanian nobleman by birth. The uprising was directed against Russia and Prussia that made the second division of RzeczPospolita and against the local reactionary aristocracy that had taken power in the lands. To support Russian and Prussian troops Austria also entered the fighting against the rebels. Kosciuszko was injured in a battle and captured by Tsarist troops was imprisoned in Petropavlovskaya Fortress in the Russian capital of that time - St. Petersburg. The uprising started in mid-spring and was brutally suppressed in mid-autumn 1794. The result of its suppression was the third division of RzeczPospolita in 1795.
As Belarus is situated in the centre of Europe many wars took place in its territory. One of the greatest wars was in 1812 when the emperor Napoleon attacked Russia. And Belarussian lands became the arena, of military actions. A great number of Belarussians took part in this war against Napoleon.
1830-1831 - national-liberation motion for restoration RzeczPospolita.
1917 - October revolution. 
1918 March 25 - is declared independence of Belarus.
1919 January 1 - Belarus was proclaimed the Belarussian Soviet Socialist Republic and soon became the member of the USSR
The Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is one of the most heroic and tragic periods in the history of the centuiy. For three years the territory of Belarus was occupied by the Nazi. The country lost more then 3 million people (every third citizen felt in the fight against fascism), many towns and villages were ruined. Belarus lost more then half of its national wealth.
In its multi-century history Belarus had been conquered many times, though it had never been a conqueror itself. Belarusians had to change their faith, accept alien culture and language, assimilate with other nations. But Belarus has never lost its national originality - it bent down like grass under a storm so as to straighten up again and turn green.

http://www.karta-minska.nemiga.info/karta-belarusi.htm

Impossible to forget this day !!!

August 11, 2008 

Robert was born

September 16, 2009
when Robert made his first few steps by himself!
Before this time he was trained such way - pushing his stroller.

The first travel the three of us together to Polotck Belarus

My husband, Neal, son, Robert, and I, traveled on September 13th to the small museum-city of Polotsk. 

At 2 o'clock at night we took a train and already in the morning at 8 were on a place. 

I never was in Polotsk till now and I would like to look this most ancient of the cities of the East Slavs.  

Polotsk is the contemporary of Kiev and Novgorod and is mentioned for the first time in 862 AD in ancient annals. 
When we arrived, morning was cool and raining. Neal bought a map and we started out. I was thinking, we have not chosen that day. I got wet, and I wanted to be in a warm place. But the purpose has been put, and it was necessary to go forward. 

A short distance from the station, we saw the monument of the Great Polotsk Prince Vseslav Bryachislavich (Wizard). Ho ruled the land from 1044 to 1101 and under his rule was built famous St.Sofia cathedral. But more about this later.

 

Next we passed over the "red bridge". It is painted red, but carries such a name not because of its color, but because here was a bloody fights between Frenchmen and Russians  in the "War of 1812".

I noticed locks on the bridge. Certainly the "enamoured" hang the locks there .

We approached a monument of Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The princess was born nearby in 1110 and was the leading woman of her time. She has based the woman's and man's monasteries in Polotsk principality. They become a centre of the enlightenment.

We passed little onward and before us started to shine the dome of Bogoyavlenskay Church. Restoration was underway and I not able to value the beauty of this Church.

The rain ended and I immediately became more cheerful. We searched for the famous "Sofia Cathedral". On the left was, as we walked, the broad river, West Dvina.

Ahead we saw the majestic "Sofia". This Cathedral was built by Byzantian architects between 1044-1066 years intended as a symbol of equality (with the "second Rome" - Constantinople) and a challenge to Kiev and Novgorod which also had cathedrals in honor of Saint Sofia. In 1710 by order of Peter I the Cathedral was blown up and reconstructed only in1750 in the style of the late baroque. It seems to me the cathedral in this style is more elegantly.

We found a big stone beside the Cathedral. This is the, so-called, Borisov stone - a boulder with graven cross and inscription "My God, help your slave, Boris". This inscription was made by order of prince Boris Vseslavovich in first third of XII century. The Borisov Stone is a symbol of a triumph of Christianity in Belarus. An inscription practically not possible to analyse.

It is a pity to me that St. Sofia Cathedral is now used as only a museum. Today Cathedral is employed as a architectral exposition, as a concert hall  and for its viable organ.

Then we returned to the center, passed through the park, where we found the sign "Geographical Centre of Europe", and alse monuments of Frantsisk Skorina and Simeon of Polotsk. But we were unable to enter the Museum of the Belarus publishing. At first we passed by it, but did not plan return.
But then we returned on the Dvina bank and on the other side of the street we saw an unusual building of red color - a History museum of the region. This museum is located in the building of a former Lutheran church. It is a monument of architecture of  neogothic style XIX-XX centuries. It was constructed by order of Ekaterina II and was a church until 1924 (as the museum guide not surely informed me).

And then it was necessary to come back to station because battery of the camera Neal was almost discharged. But we had still some time before train sending, and decided not to lose time and have gone to one place noted on the map.
It was Rescue-Euphrosyne monastery, erected in the 20 year of the XII century by request of Euphrosyne of Polotsk. The monastery is one of the first female monasteries in Belarus. We had not enough time to examine all in detail. In the Cathedral I asked one nun, whether it is allowed to take pictures? But she fearfolly answered a categorical "no". In the Sabor is much beauty.  I tried to consider persons of nuns - all of them such young. Interestingly, they have left in the monastery because were disappointed in our every day life or for the sake of faiths - to serve only to God???

In general, each step on this city - as touch to histories. Even a small homely white house which we saw on the way to the Sofia Cathedral was Peter the Great's house. Ho arrived in Polotsk for the management of Russian troops in the war with Swedes (for an exit of Russia to Baltic sea in 1705).
It was late and we run back to the station. Our train already expected the passengers.
We wereat home already in the night, about 1A.m.
How it is not strange, but Robert peacefully carry this journey on "saint places".
If you like this place as well as I, it is possible to go here,  

http://polotsk.museum.by/en

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polatsk
http://globus.tut.by/polock/index.htm 

http://www.belarus.nemiga.info/polotsk.htm