Photo of the Day for March 16, 2020

Traditional sacred corner (pokuts’) in a house, Tsjerablichy 2020. Homes in Belarus and elsewhere in the region customarily have an icon, framed by an embroidered runner, in a corner (“red corner”) of the main room.  Beneath the icon many homeowners place a table on which they traditionally place consecrated candles or small books.  It was… Continue reading Photo of the Day for March 16, 2020

Photos of the Day for March 12, 2020

Family farming in Polesia (Pripet Marshes).  Tsjerablichy 2019.  A reporter for one of Belarus’ rural-oriented newspapers once condescendingly asked me, “What do you think of our peasants?”  I responded that I think of Belarusian villagers as family farmers rather than “peasants”.  Recalling that exchange, I would ask here why anyone accepts collectives (kalkhozy) as a… Continue reading Photos of the Day for March 12, 2020