Dear George, How are you? You asked me to write to you about some interesting Belarusian traditions. Well, I've got one for you. I attended "Dranik Fest" and can't wait to share my experience with you. "Dranik Fest" is held in Mahilou in September. This biggest potato festival celebrates the most popular dish in Belarus. The programme includes live music, competitions, unusual exhibitions, painting, and potato carving workshops. I was lucky to attend "Dranik Fest" last weekend. There was a lot to see and do there. When we arrived at the Zyalenaya Roshcha ethnographic farm, it started raining. We even heard a clap of thunder in the distance. We were a bit worried that the rain would ruin the festival fun but, luckily, it had stopped by the time the Draniki competition started. What an amazing show it was! All the spectators were watching five teams making their delicious draniki. Of course, everybody was looking forward to the next part, the tasting. I had never eaten so many potato pancakes in my life! I wanted to take part in the contest for eating draniki the fastest but my mum told me I would have a stomach ache as I had already eaten quite a lot of draniki. So I had to agree with her. The "Dranik Fest" gives people a unique opportunity to leam more about the national Belarusian culture with its dances, songs, crafts and, of course, culinary traditions. It's a great way to discover something new and to get energised for weeks ahead. Do you have any food festivals in your city? Please, write to me. Best wishes,
Alex
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