Photo expedition to Ljel’chytski district of Polesia: Tonjezh and Bukcha. Фотавандроўка па Лельчыцкім раёне: Тонеж і Букча.
Three memories remained vivid from my only previous visit to Tonjezh, in 2007: the clever and wry wit of the people, roadside crosses dressed as women, and elaborate decorative window lintels. I was pleased that several friends from Tsjerablichy wanted to join my return visit to Tonjezh, with Bukcha added on. We set off to see how much Tonjezh had changed in the intervening years; my friends were also interested to find out how much the local language and traditional dress in Tonjezh differed from that of Tsjerablichy.
After checking on the state of the roadside cross at the eastern edge of the village (see upcoming photo of the day for October 10), we drove back along Tonjezh’s main east-west street. A neat table and benches and an enclosed well in front of a brightly painted homestead caught our eye. We stopped to take a closer look:
Moving sprightly despite her crutches, the owner of the house came out to chat about the village and local traditions:
Belarus in Faces (part CLXXVIII): Granny Valjantsina, Tonjezh 2015. Беларусь у тварах (частка CLXXVIII): бабуля Валянціна, Тонеж 2015 г.
Granny Valjantsina decided that we should meet her neighbor across the street:
Belarus in Faces (part CLXXIX): Granny Maryja, Tonjezh 2015. Беларусь у тварах (частка CLXXIX): бабуля Марыя, Тонеж 2015 г.
Granny Maryja’s kitchen — neat as a pin:
Examples of Granny Maryja’s embroidery:
