In the hands of the journalists got the document "On Holidays" signed by Dmitry Khoma – chief of the education department of the Viciebsk Oblast Executive Committee. The document is addressed to heads of educational institutions of the region – it prohibits the celebration of Halloween and Valentine's Day in schools and colleges.
Officer Executive Committee expressed "concern about the strengthening in the minds of pupils disruptive grounds of modern mass culture."
"As a product of modern mass culture of the West, the so-called" holidays "are neither religious holidays any of the denominations registered in the territory of the Republic of Belarus or to the secular holidays of our state. [They] are destructive in nature, undermine the foundations of morality, the family of the Belarusian nation and national traditions", – said in the letter.
The youth of today, according to the education department of the Viciebsk Oblast Executive Committee, "liberating the animal instincts," noting Halloween. Helping her in this, it is argued, the "dark" fun in nightclubs: alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
If Halloween is criticized and the church hierarchy, as well as the policies of the Conservatives, the Valentine's Day earlier under criticism did not get. However, Catholic priests urged not to commercialize it, and the Russian Orthodox Church in defiance of him trying to instill the cult of saints Peter and Fevronia, but it is not very common in Belarus.
His antipathy for the Valentine's Day officials explain confusing. "This festival is celebrated so widely that many educational institutions were involved in a huge mass of information industry, ideological and economic (the acquisition by pupils of postcards)" – this is explained in the order. Officials clung to what Valentine's Day originated in ancient Rome during his "moral and political degradation."
Based on these arguments, educational institutions strongly recommend to abandon the celebration of these days and to remove them from the educational plans.
Is Valentine's Day as a big challenge for education is to send special orders? "Nasha Niva" asked about this very Dmitry Khoma, but he was busy and instructed to answer the questions to his deputy – Valery Kunashko, chief of education department.
"You are talking in Belarusian, apparently a Christian, well, why do you need these other people's holidays? – Said the move Kunashko. – It's not ours, not national holidays, the more you have, speaking in Belarusian... You should on the contrary – to support..."
"This holiday [Halloween] was never, not celebrated. Recently, it introduced the youth – in nightclubs... I think that the investigation that is carried out for the occasion with a chainsaw in a shopping center in Minsk ... He wanted and IILSR carry, and so on ... You see, the belief in evil spirits that they are promoting, it is harmful to young mentally hardened young people. For them it is not good", – continued the official.
Officials hope to win the globalization of its decrees? – We asked.
"Let celebrate our Christmas carols, Saraki. And you, a Belarusian and a newspaper, as anyone need to promote our national holidays. And not alien to us, brought from the outside. I graduated History Faculty of BSU, and came first heard what Valentine's Day – a whole industry postcards the need to buy..."
He graduated from his official response to the fact that "all the Belarusian-should sign this letter," since "even the board of the Ministry of Education said that it is absolutely alien to our holidays."
Artem Harbatsevich. nn.by
