The Sporovskiye Senokosy eco festival will take place in the village of Vysokoye, Bereza District on 8 August,
BelTA learned from the Sporovsky nature reserve.
The main event will be a manual scything competition. “Each team of two participants will have to scythe a plot 100 meters long and at least 1.5 meters long per person. Two criteria are taken into account: speed and quality of scything. After the team round, the top ten participants will advance to the individual round where they will scythe the same distance on their own," the reserve explained.
According to the organizers, the time it takes to complete the course depends on the height, moisture, and density of the grass. On average, scything takes between 5 and 10 minutes.
Registration for participants is open. Around five teams have already signed up for the scything competition, and the regular teams that come every year are also expected to take part. “We are expecting to host 20 to 25 teams. That number allows the competition to run at a lively pace so that spectators don’t get tired,” the reserve noted.
Another highlight of the festical is the swamp football tournament, which will be held for the 11th time. No more than ten teams are expected to take part. “The playing field is a section of peat bog with no vegetation, measuring 60 meters long and 30 meters wide. If necessary, it is additionally watered to maintain the spectacle of the game.
Each period lasts 13 minutes, and teams play with six players on each side. Swamp football traditionally draws a large crowd of spectators,” the organizers said.
Festival guests will also enjoy kayaking workshops, a table sports game studio, children’s entertainment, and the opportunity to ride motorized hang gliders and ATVs. Visitors can also visit the bird ringing station Yaselda and enjoy a concert by artists from Bereza District.
The festival will be held for the 19th time. Its goal is to draw attention to the problem of overgrowth of wetlands, the preservation of biodiversity, and to promote the national traditions of scything.