Early September – the time of most of the banned and underground festival of Belarus: "Vorša Battle".

Back in 1991 the Belarusian singer Andrei Melnikov, who was then living in Vorša, conceived an unusual festival. The idea was to establish a tradition Belarusian art song performers gather at the mouth of the river Krapiŭna in early September – when and where held in 1514 Vorša battle.

For 25 years "Vorša Battle" in its history has experienced ups and downs, has become the largest open platform for young Belarusian bards and poets.

In the last 9 years due to pressure from the security forces of the festival audience has decreased from two to three hundred to 10-20 people, becoming almost an underground festival. But there was one constant – the performance of the ideas of the author, Andrei Melnikov.

And this year for the first time at "Vorša Battle – 2016" Melnikov, who always calls himself the father of the festival, was not. He chose some other site, it seems, somewhere in Lida. Probably, there was better than the evening somewhere in the woods between Vorša and Dubroŭna. When the captain leaves the sinking ship, its crew has been operating in its own way. Place the captain of the festival to date free.

And what about the "Vorša Battle"? She went without our bards. In the absence of the captain of the ship led the festival coordinator, Vorša historian-researcher Yuri Koptik, which showed he had written a song especially for the festival "Krapiŭna field".

And what about our bards? I do not yet mastered sufficiently by word or voice or guitar, our singer-songwriters, however, have learned to put conditions: pay my fare plus a fee for the performance – one 50, and some $ 100 "Rating" the older generation in general, seems to be "copied".

A night in the woods near Krapiŭna gathered young and not so young people from Vorša, Mahiloŭ, Viciebsk. Krapiŭna field still attracts those who know that this place is and what it means for us. Read poetry, listen to the Belarusian music and just talked about bread and interesting for everyone. Raises the cup with the traditional toast to this place – for the victory. Yes we are hoping for a better time for Belarus.

A. Ršanski, nn.by