As we prepare for the Carol Challenge this Sunday. WEast Chernobyl's youngest walkers have already began their training. Join them (and us) this Sunday, have fun and raise some funds for our work overseas.
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After the success of last years Carol Challenge, we are ready for round 2 and it's bigger and better than ever. We have options for a 3 and a 6 county walk to help us raise vital funds for this years projects in Belarus, so get on your walking shoes and join us. Can you sponsor me for a big long walk? Or even better....... can you come along and join me? 3 County Carol Challenge Walk When: Sunday 6th April 2014 at 1pm Where: Davey's pub carpark, Omeath, 6 miles And for those wanting a real challenge 6 County Carol Challenge Walk When: Sunday 6th April at 10.00am Where: Lough Fea, Losset, Co Monaghan, 6 miles Find your very own sponsorship form here: http://weastchernobyl.weebly.com/the-carol-challenge.html Last September our volunteer, Simon, travelled to Belarus for the first time to work on our project site at Kosava Adult Institute. This January he has just launched a new campaign on indiegogo.com “Mentally Ill in Belarus” to help raise funds for our main project in Belarus. In the link below Simon tells us a little more about his fundraising initiative, how to help make our reconstruction of the bed bound unit and art therapy work possible and what it means for those we help. So if you’re interested in our projects or in making a donation and supporting our work please click here. Just 1 week before he was due to depart for Belarus, we got word that our van driver would be without a van. Although a very kind loan of a van was made to us, it has unfortunately broken down. With our September trip to Kosava Adult Institute just days away we are seeking anyone who could lend us a van between 26th/27th August and 16th September to help bring materials and help us complete our project in Belarus? If you think you can help please contact Brian at 07562980809 or email [email protected] Please share this post with as many people as possible and help us get our man in a van and to Belarus. Thank you. Belarus is a beautiful country with a long and interesting history. The Belarusian national costume is a complex of traditional clothing, shoes and accessories, which has been developed during the centuries. Though not used for everyday use, the costume is ceremonial and the origins of tradition lie in the ancient Kievan Rus. Suitable for the moderate continental climate of Belarus; with its long cold winters and mild summer weather. Fabrics were made out of flux and wool, decorated with printed or embroiled ornaments, or weaved from using threads of different color. Each of the different regions of the country have costumes certain distinct characteristics or designs, researchers have identified more than 30 varieties of folk costume! The traditional male costume is beautifully simple and consists of a shirt embroidered on the collar and bottom, pants and vest. Outer clothing was also used with coats made of sheepskin whilst the nobles wore fur coats. The usual Belarusian peasant shoes were called ‘lapti’ which were created from bark, willow bark or hemp. The nobles’ traditionally wore more expensive leather boots. Belarusian’s women’s costume is more diverse, with strong national characteristics in its design. There are four traditional variations: a skirt and apron, apron and waistcoat (garsetom) with a skirt, which is sewn to the bodice, corset, with panova, aprons, waistcoat (garsetom). The first two are known throughout the territory of Belarus, the last two are specific to the eastern and north-eastern regions. Panovas are traditionally worn over a shirt, the three big pieces of cloth sewn on top of collected cord that pulls together at the waist. Women’s outer clothing is embroidered and richer then male clothes, but in appearance and tailoring is not very different from men's. Headgear used in women’s costumes was of important social and ritual significance. Traditionally, it was possible to determine the marital status, age of the woman, her financial situation but it was also used for ceremonies and rituals, such as weddings; bride’s changed girlish headgear for women’s to symbolize growth and change. Belarusian national costume has a long tradition, though like most worldwide costumes it is not in everyday usage today. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this little bit about Belarusian clothing and perhaps you have similar traditions where you are? Our 2013 team for Belarus is almost ready. Forms are being filled and flights are ready to be booked. But there's still time to join us. Are you a Tiler? Plasterer? Joiner? or Labourer? with some free time between 2nd and 16th September? Want to do something worthwhile? Visit: http://weastchernobyl.weebly.com/trades.html to find out more about this extraordinary opportunity and consider becoming a part of our WEast Chernobyl Team 2013! 3 Days to Go! Get your walking shoes ready and join us at the Carol Challenge - 3 County Walk. Starting at Davey's Pub Car Park in Omeath and finishing at the Independence Club, Kilmorey Street Newry. The Carol Challenge spans 6 miles and 3 counties. Come along on the 26th May and join us. Everyone is welcome, whether you're looking for some Sunday exercise or a way to spend time with the family, do something worthwhile and help us raise vital funds for our projects. Hope to see you there! One of the most frequent questions we are asked by our volunteers is “What’s the food like in Belarus?” Well, we can tell you with absolute certainty that the answer is delicious! The Belarusian diet in many ways is similar to the Irish diet, heavy reliant on potatoes, root vegetable and meat based dishes, highlighting the strong agricultural background for which the country is famed. Though of course the preparation and taste of the food is very different, it is an experience worth having. Our Belarusian based volunteer, Maria, has kindly donated to us this recipe, which we just had to try out at home in Northern Ireland! It was so tasty we encourage you to have a go yourself. Please feel free to leave a comment to let us know the results or any suggestions for improving the recipe. Enjoy! Draniki (Potato pancakes) Ingredients: 6 potatoes,1 egg, 2 table spoons flour, 1 onion, salt, pepper, oil Method: 1. Peel, wash and grate the potatoes, and peel and chop the onion. Mix potatoes and onion. 2. Add the egg, flour and salt, and stir well until it become combined. 3. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and add potato mixture with a table spoon in the form of small flat cakes. Fry draniki on one side for about 2–3 minutes until it has a golden brown crust. Then turn the draniki over and fry for a further 1–2 minutes. 4. Serve with main dishes and sour cream. You can also stuff draniki with meat, mushrooms or fish. For that fry draniki on one side, put the filling on top, cover it with potato mixture and fry from the other side. Traveling to a new country can be an exciting and daunting experience. To help our volunteers with their trip to Belarus we’ve put together this little information sheet on basic Russian words and phrases. Fact: Russian and Belarusian are the official languages of Belarus, with Russian being the most commonly spoken. Both Russian and Belarusian use the Cyrillic alphabet which has 33 letters. That's 7 more letters than the English alphabet. |
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