Why does St. Elisabeth Convent organize festivals? What are they like and what is their influence on the visitors? Let’s deal with all these questions based on the example of the From Heart To Heart Festival that took place in Berlin on September 21-24.
The
Russian House in Berlin, where the Festival was held, provided immense support
to our Convent. This event was first organised in the capital of Germany last
year. Its programme turned out to be of interest to people who belong to
various generations and cultures. Due to this fact, From Heart To Heart
Festival was invited to the Russian House again this autumn.
One of
the main goals of the festival team is to make people aware of the beauty of
Orthodox culture. We tried to use performances, presentations, and concerts to
bring some joy of human interaction to our foreign friends, to fill the
meetings we had in this remote land with warmth and care, so that the name of
our From Heart To Heart Festival would not remain a mere declaration but would
become a living experience of every one of our guests.
Each of
the four days of the Festival was overflowing with fascinating events and
meetings. The daily schedule consisted of a main event for general public and
several smaller ones for fewer visitors. The guests mentioned the fact that
they could always find the event that suited their individual interests in
their testimonials. Many of our visitors came to the Festival again and again.
We were
pleased and honoured to greet Dzianis Sidarenka, the Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the Federative
Republic of Germany, with his spouse; Alexei Barbuk, an adviser of the Embassy;
representatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church
Outside Russia; staff of the Russian and the Belarusian embassies.
What Was Special About The Festival This
Time?
- The
concert of the Monastic Choir of St. Elisabeth Convent, as usual, took a whole
lot more time than previously anticipated. The foyer of the Russian House was
packed with listeners.
- The
Little Prince, a play staged by Joy Inclusive Theatre, was performed in Western
Europe for the first time. The company performed the play in Cottbus and
Berlin. The story based on the eponymous novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupery was
staged in Russian by the small team of mentally and physically challenged
children from several boarding homes of Minsk.
Alexander
Zhdanovich, the permanent leader of the theatre, was the director and stage
director of the play, and he wrote the script for it, too. The audience
appreciated the interpretation of this play into German. The children from the
boarding home enjoyed warm welcome, which, coupled with absence of vacant
seats, was their greatest reward.
- The
usual workshop sessions on icon painting and making stone icons were
complemented by one-on-one tutoring, which the visitors could sign up for. A
four hour long workshop session under the guidance of professional icon
painters allowed the students to learn the nuances and techniques in greater
detail than during the general presentation, and to make a complete work of art
with their own hands.
During
the sessions on making stone icons, the participants learned to make landscape
pictures, and during tempera icon painting sessions, they painted biblical
animals on the boards we had prepared in advance. People could register for
participation in these workshop sessions online or during their visit to the
festival, and we were surprised to see how many people turned up.
- A
theatrical show Traditional Belarusian Dress, which combined a lecture on the
history of the dress, elements of a folk holiday and a fashion show of secular
clothes made in Ella sewing workshop of St. Elisabeth Convent, was an unexpected
event. It was intended to remind of the traditions of the national dress of
Belarus, preserved and continued in modern fashions created by designers of our
Convent. The audience in Berlin was really keen to see the collection of
clothes made in the Convent. Many of the viewers went on to buy the items after
the show.
- There
was a phyto café open daily for all visitors. It offered pastry, sweets, and
aromatic herbal teas brewed according to old recipes.
- The
visitors could also watch films produced by the Studio in honour of St John the
Warrior (St. Elisabeth Convent), explore photo exhibitions and presentations
about the current life of St. Elisabeth Convent, its history and social outreach
projects. The information about the construction going on in the Convent, about
the social projects currently underway, about the holidays and day-to-day life
of the Convent never failed to cause interest of many listeners.
Each
event was accompanied by several small video films and a conversation during
which the visitors were able to ask their questions. The sisters of St. Elisabeth Convent, having helped many people in difficult life situations,
people with disabilities, and the elderly, have accumulated a formidable wealth
of practical knowledge and spiritual experience, and they were happy to share
it with the audiences.
- The
Land of Childhood met its young friends with joy. The special edutainment we
had prepared for children and their parents created the atmosphere of a warm
family holiday. The characters of Batleika Folk Puppet Theatre and moving
characters of the For The Little Ones cartoon series offered a variety of fairy
tales to the little guests.
- We had
demonstrated a Belarusian hut to the Berliners last year but this time, there
were several workshop session that carried on the topic of the Belarusian
costume: painting wooden gifts (plywood figurines of children wearing
Belarusian clothes), weaving belts using a special device, and a straw-plaiting
seminar.
Summary
It is
hard to tell yet how successful the festival in Berlin was , given that the
majority of the audience were benevolent Russian-speaking Orthodox
parishioners. The Festival for them is an opportunity to return to their
homeland, albeit virtually.
Even during
the preparation stage for the From Heart To Heart Festival in Berlin, we
invested a lot of effort to spread the word about the event among the general
public and Christians who belong to heterodox congregations. We took into
account our previous experiences and were led by the desire to make this event
as interactive and easy to understand for an average visitor as possible.
Thanks to the fact that all events held within the frameworks of the festival
were interpreted into German, German speakers were also able to enjoy it and
expressed their appreciation.
The skill
of icon painters, the purity of Orthodox chants performed by the Monastic
Choir, books and films produced by the video studio of St. Elisabeth Convent,
workshop sessions on folk crafts – all these events have always been an
encounter with the beauty of Orthodox culture, traditions of family life, and a
history of the Belarusian nation.
We can
definitely say that From Heart To Heart Festival is becoming one of memorable
events in the life of the city. More than 3,000 people visited the Russian
House during the four days of the festival. Many of them shared their
impressions via our Book of Reviews.
The
sisters of St. Elisabeth Convent would like to thank all their friends and
guests of the Festival for their warm welcome, attention, and support.
Our
Festival team hopes to meet their friends in Berlin in the summer of 2018. We
are looking forward to meeting you next year!
October 5, 2017
St.
Elisabeth Convent
CONVERSATION