Editing Belarus (section)

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Belarus}}

===Arts and literature===
[[File:Нацыянальны акадэмічны Вялікі тэатар опэры і балету г. Менск 2.jpg|thumb|The [[National Opera and Ballet of Belarus|Opera and Ballet Theater]] in Minsk]]
The Belarusian government sponsors annual cultural festivals such as the [[Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk]],<ref>{{cite web|title=The Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk amazes with its artistic atmosphere, popular artistes, hundreds of events and thousands of reasons to enjoy|url=http://www.sb.by/en-belarus-magazine/culture/article/vitebsk-of-all-times.html|website=sb.by|date=22 September 2015 |access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> which showcases Belarusian performers, artists, writers, musicians, and actors. Several state holidays, such as [[Independence Day (Belarus)|Independence Day]] and [[Victory Day (9 May)|Victory Day]], draw big crowds and often include displays such as fireworks and military parades, especially in Vitebsk and Minsk.<ref name="festivals">{{cite web|url=http://www.belarusembassy.org/belarus/culture.htm|title=Belarusian National Culture| publisher=Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the United States of America|access-date=26 March 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060210203549/http://www.belarusembassy.org/belarus/culture.htm|archive-date=10 February 2006}}</ref> The government's Ministry of Culture finances events promoting Belarusian arts and culture both inside and outside the country.

Belarusian literature<ref>{{cite web|title=Belarusian Literature|url=http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Belarusian_Literature|website=yivoencyclopedia.org|access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> began with 11th- to 13th-century religious scripture, such as the 12th-century poetry of [[Cyril of Turaw]].<ref name="bypoem">{{cite web|url=http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/literature/Old_Poetry.html |title=Old Belarusian Poetry |access-date=9 October 2007|year=1994|publisher=Virtual Guide to Belarus|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011050535/http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/literature/Old_Poetry.html|archive-date=11 October 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the 16th century, [[Polotsk]] resident [[Francysk Skaryna]] translated the Bible into Belarusian. It was published in [[Prague]] and [[Vilnius]] sometime between 1517 and 1525, making it the first book printed in Belarus or anywhere in Eastern Europe.<ref name="byeb">"Belarus: history", [https://www.britannica.com/place/Belarus/Government-and-society#toc33453 Britannica.com]; accessed 4 March 2016.</ref> The modern era of Belarusian literature began in the late 19th century; one prominent writer was [[Yanka Kupala]]. Many Belarusian writers of the time, such as [[Uładzimir Žyłka]], Kazimir Svayak, [[Yakub Kolas]], [[Źmitrok Biadula]], and [[Maksim Haretski]], wrote for ''[[Nasha Niva]]'', a Belarusian-language paper published that was previously published in Vilnius but now is published in Minsk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nn.by/?c=ar&i=151632&lang=en|title=About Nasha Niva newspaper|work=Nasha Niva|date=21 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325164633/http://nn.by/?c=ar&i=151632&lang=en|archive-date=25 March 2016}}</ref>

After Belarus was incorporated into the Soviet Union, the Soviet government took control of the Republic's cultural affairs. At first, a policy of "Belarusianization" was followed in the newly formed Byelorussian SSR. This policy was reversed in the 1930s, and the majority of prominent Belarusian intellectuals and nationalist advocates were either exiled or killed in Stalinist purges.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tereshkovich|first=Pavel|author2=Robert J. Valliere|title=The Belarusian Road to Modernity|journal=International Journal of Sociology|year=2001|volume=31|series=Belarus:Between the East and the West (I)|issue=3|pages=78–89|doi=10.1080/15579336.2001.11770234|jstor=20628625|s2cid=152025564}}</ref> The free development of literature occurred only in Polish-held territory until Soviet occupation in 1939. Several poets and authors went into exile after the Nazi occupation of Belarus and would not return until the 1960s.<ref name="byeb"/>

[[File:Wincenty Dunin-Marcinkiewicz 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Poet and librettist [[Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich]]]]
The last major revival of Belarusian literature occurred in the 1960s with novels published by [[Vasil Bykaŭ]] and [[Uladzimir Karatkievich]]. An influential author who examined the catastrophes the country has suffered was [[Ales Adamovich]]. He was named by [[Svetlana Alexievich]], the Belarusian winner of the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]] 2015, as "her main teacher, who helped her to find a path of her own".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2015/alexievich/biographical/|title=The Nobel Prize in Literature 2015|website=NobelPrize.org}}</ref>

[[Music of Belarus|Music in Belarus]] largely comprises a rich tradition of folk and religious music. The country's folk music traditions can be traced back to the times of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. In the 19th century, Polish composer [[Stanisław Moniuszko]] composed operas and chamber music pieces while living in Minsk. During his stay, he worked with Belarusian poet [[Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich]] and created the opera ''Sialanka'' (''Peasant Woman''). At the end of the 19th century, major Belarusian cities formed their own opera and ballet companies. The ballet ''[[Nightingale (ballet)|Nightingale]]'' by M. Kroshner was composed during the Soviet era and became the first Belarusian ballet showcased at the National Academic Vialiki Ballet Theatre in Minsk.<ref>{{cite news|first=Crystal|last=Zou|title=Ballets for Christmas|date=11 December 2003|url=http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2003/1211/wh28-1.html|work=Shanghai Star|access-date=20 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050225084753/http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2003/1211/wh28-1.html|archive-date=25 February 2005}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=October 2021}}

After the [[Second World War]], music focused on the hardships of the Belarusian people or on those who took up arms in defense of the homeland. During this period, [[Anatoly Bogatyrev]], creator of the opera ''In Polesye Virgin Forest'', served as the "tutor" of Belarusian composers.<ref name="clasmus">{{cite web|url=http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/music/Belarusian_composers_&_classical_music.htm|title=Classical Music of Belarus|publisher=Belarusguide.com|access-date=29 April 2013}}</ref> The National Academic Theatre of Ballet in Minsk was awarded the [[Prix Benois de la Danse|Benois de la Dance Prize]] in 1996 as the top ballet company in the world.<ref name="clasmus"/> Rock music has become increasingly popular in recent years, though the Belarusian government has attempted to limit the amount of foreign music aired on the radio in favor of traditional Belarusian music. Since 2004, Belarus has been sending artists to the [[Eurovision Song Contest]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Eurovision.tv|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/timeline|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504003019/http://www.eurovision.tv/page/timeline|archive-date=4 May 2013|website=Eurovision.tv|access-date=4 March 2016}}</ref><ref>National State Teleradiocompany{{cite web|url=http://www.tvr.by/eng/konkurs.asp |title=Belarus entry to the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest |access-date=25 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224183337/http://www.tvr.by/eng/konkurs.asp |archive-date=24 February 2008}}</ref>

[[Marc Chagall]] was born in Liozna (near [[Vitebsk]]) in 1887. He spent the [[World War I]] years in Soviet Belarus, becoming one of the country's most distinguished artists and a member of the modernist [[avant-garde]] and was a founder of the Vitebsk Arts College.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ehu.lt/ru/news/pokazatj-statjju/shagal-v-belarusi-ignoriruemj-zabtj-i-snova-otkrtj|title=Шагал в Беларуси: игнорируемый, забытый и снова открытый|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326221817/http://www.ehu.lt/ru/news/pokazatj-statjju/shagal-v-belarusi-ignoriruemj-zabtj-i-snova-otkrtj|archive-date=26 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5-7EHMntMsUC&q=%D0%A8%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BB+%D0%92%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%81%D0%BA&pg=PA298|title=Атлас мировой живописи|isbn=978-5-373-00553-1|last1=Геташвили|year=2006|publisher=ОЛМА Медиа Групп }}</ref>

===Dress===
The traditional Belarusian dress originates from the [[Kievan Rus']] period. Due to the cool climate, clothes were designed to conserve body heat and were usually made from [[flax]] or [[wool]]. They were decorated with ornate patterns influenced by the neighboring cultures: Poles, Lithuanians, Latvians, Russians, and other European nations. Each region of Belarus has developed specific design patterns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.belarusguide.com/culture1/clothing/index.html|title=Belarusian traditional clothing|publisher=Belarusguide.com|access-date=29 April 2013}}</ref> One ornamental pattern common in early dresses currently decorates the hoist of the [[Flag of Belarus|Belarusian national flag]], adopted in a [[1995 Belarusian referendum|disputed referendum]] in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fotw.fivestarflags.com/by.html#orn|title=Belarus – Ornament, Flags of the World|publisher=Fotw.fivestarflags.com|access-date=29 April 2013|archive-date=9 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909230337/http://fotw.fivestarflags.com/by.html#orn}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
[[File:Potato pancakes.jpg|thumb|right|[[Potato pancake|Draniki]], the national dish]]
[[Belarusian cuisine]] consists mainly of vegetables, meat (particularly pork), and bread. Foods are usually either slowly cooked or [[stewed]]. Typically, Belarusians eat a light breakfast and two hearty meals later in the day. [[Wheat]] and [[rye]] bread are consumed in Belarus, but rye is more plentiful because conditions are too harsh for growing wheat. To show hospitality, a host traditionally presents an offering of [[bread and salt]] when greeting a guest or visitor.<ref>Canadian Citizenship and Immigration&nbsp;– [http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/belarus/eating.html Cultures Profile Project&nbsp;– Eating the Belarusian Way] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320041709/http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/belarus/eating.html |date=20 March 2007 }} (1998); retrieved 21 March 2007.</ref>

===Sport===
{{recentism|section|date=November 2020}}
{{see also|Belarus at the Olympics}}

Belarus has competed in the Olympic Games since the [[1994 Winter Olympics]] as an independent nation. Receiving heavy sponsorship from the government, [[ice hockey]] is the nation's second most popular sport after [[Association football|football]]. The [[Belarus national football team|national football team]] has never qualified for a major tournament; however, [[FC BATE Borisov|BATE Borisov]] has played in the [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]]. The [[Belarus national men's ice hockey team|national hockey team]] finished fourth at the [[Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics|2002 Salt Lake City Olympics]] following a memorable upset win over Sweden in the quarterfinals and regularly competes in the [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships]], often making the quarterfinals. Numerous Belarusian players are present in the [[Kontinental Hockey League]] in Eurasia, particularly for Belarusian club [[HC Dinamo Minsk]], and several have also played in the [[National Hockey League]] in North America. The [[2014 IIHF World Championship]] was hosted in Belarus and the [[2021 IIHF World Championship]] was supposed to be co-hosted in Latvia and Belarus but it was cancelled due to widespread protests and security concerns. The [[2021 UEC European Track Championships]] in cycling was also cancelled because Belarus was not considered a safe host.

[[File:Victoria Azarenka (18567208246).jpg|thumb|right|[[Victoria Azarenka]], professional [[tennis]] player and a former [[List of WTA number 1 ranked players|world No. 1]] in singles]]
[[Darya Domracheva]] is a leading [[biathlon|biathlete]] whose honours include three gold medals at the [[2014 Winter Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.olympic.org/darya-domracheva |title=Darya Domracheva |website=www.olympic.org}}</ref> [[Tennis]] player [[Victoria Azarenka]] became the first Belarusian to win a [[Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam]] singles title at the [[Australian Open]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/queen-victoria-takes-the-throne-determined-to-court-further-success-20120129-1qo2l.html|title=Queen Victoria takes the throne determined to court further success|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=29 January 2012}}</ref> She also won the gold medal in mixed doubles at the [[Tennis at the 2012 Summer Olympics|2012 Summer Olympics]] with [[Max Mirnyi]], who holds ten Grand Slam titles in [[Singles tennis|doubles]].

Other notable Belarusian sportspeople include cyclist [[Vasil Kiryienka]], who won the [[2015 UCI Road World Championships – Men's time trial|2015 Road World Time Trial Championship]], and middle-distance runner [[Maryna Arzamasava]], who won the gold medal in the [[2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres|800m at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics]].
[[Andrei Arlovski]], who was born in [[Babruysk]], [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Byelorussian SSR]], is a current [[Ultimate Fighting Championship|UFC]] fighter and the former [[List of UFC champions|UFC heavyweight champion of the world]].

Belarus is also known for its strong rhythmic gymnasts. Noticeable gymnasts include [[Inna Zhukova]], who earned silver at the [[2008 Beijing Olympics]], [[Liubov Charkashyna]], who earned bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, and [[Melitina Staniouta]], Bronze All-Around Medalist of the 2015 World Championships. The Belarusian senior group earned bronze at the [[2012 London Olympics]].

===Telecommunications===
{{Main|Telecommunications in Belarus}}
{{See also |Censorship in Belarus}}
* Country code: [[.by]]

The state telecom monopoly, Beltelecom, holds the exclusive interconnection with Internet providers outside of Belarus. Beltelecom owns all the backbone channels that linked to the Lattelecom, TEO LT, [[Tata Communications]] (former [[Teleglobe]]), Synterra, [[Rostelecom]], Transtelekom and MTS ISPs. Beltelecom is the only operator licensed to provide commercial VoIP services in Belarus.<ref name=ONI-Belarus-Nov2010>[http://opennet.net/research/profiles/belarus "ONI Country Profile: Belarus"], OpenNet Initiative, 18 November 2010</ref>

===World Heritage Sites===
Belarus has four [[UNESCO]]-designated [[World Heritage Site]]s: the [[Mir Castle Complex]], the [[Nesvizh Castle]], the [[Białowieża Forest|Belovezhskaya Pushcha]] (shared with [[Poland]]), and the [[Struve Geodetic Arc]] (shared with nine other countries).<ref name="UNSECO">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/by| title=Belarus&nbsp;– UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=26 March 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060421205516/https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/by|archive-date=21 April 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>