2011-06-12
On the 10th of June Transkaukazja has officially started. At 6 pm simultaneously in more than 10 places in the world, starting with USA, through Poland, Germany and finishing with Caucasus – people raised their glasses together in the toast for the Festival and Caucasus. We started numbering off 35 days of the Festival, don’t miss anything of it!

„Na zdrowie” as well as  „sağ ol!”, „genatzt!” i „gaumarjos!” (in Azeri, Armenian and Georgian). A toast in Caucasus is on the one hand tradition, on the other, ceremonial. How to open a festival inspired with Caucasus? Only with toast. Toasts recall the values most important for human beings: to family and friends, to homeland, to love and honor. Sometimes toasts take hours, taking a form of parable or philosophy treaties. The toast of 10th of June crowned two events: inauguration of Transkaukazja Festival 2011 and 5th anniversary of Other Space Foundation, what also determined it.
In Georgian tradition passing a toast is called „alawerdi” and consists of continuation of toast started by tamada (conductor and master of ceremony). Toast is supposed not only to sound, thanks to „alawerdi” it should achieve an ideal form. Our toast was raised among others by: Dawid Gamtsemlidze (President of Georgian diaspora in Poland), Włodzimierz Paszyński (Vice Mayor of Warsaw) and Witek Hebanowski and Piotr Cykowski (representative of Other Space Foundation).
But that was only beginning of attractions, ‘cause...
... that day happened much more.
The program of the evening consisted of Tibetan, Japanese and Chechen attractions.
Tibetan monks finished their performance with the „world peace”. They presented also traditional Tibetan song. According to „something for your soul and for your body” idea, there was also a possibility to try Tibetan specialties.
Hana Umeda, half Polish, half Japanese, presented traditional Japanese dance „nihon buyou”. In two performances she showed us different stories. First of them „Spring in spite of blossoming plum tree”, is about young women waiting for her husband to come back. To her heart spring has already arrived, despite the snow still laying on the grass. In dance, like in Japanese theatre, with one step a whole world can be crossed. In filled with symbolism parsimonious moves, Hana showed us emotions and stories of women.
We were also admiring traditional Chechen dance lovzar. In this dance whole community takes part by forming a circle, in a center of which a couple is dancing. This dance pictures very well values specific for Caucasian culture. The task of dancer is to show his agility, bravery and strength. Women reveal their grace and modesty. Dancing circle accompanies the couple by shouting and rhythmically clapping their hands. During the farce dance, audience was only looking but when the second dance started everybody could participate.
Meanwhile, the pleasant atmosphere was made by: music „Brothers in Soul” (among others: DJ Mamadou)  , presentation of Foundation work during passed  5 years (among other things: fragments of documentary movies) and also exposition of posters, showing the most important events organized by Other Space Foundation.

Do it yourself!
Have you done it? If yes, we remind you about the competition (till 15.06)! Have you recorded your toast? Send us photos or link (mail: toast@transkaukazja.eu) You can win original Georgian (delicious!) wine! We tried it on 10th of June – it’s really worth trying!

35 days of Festival!
Exactly the same time, that lasted Transcaucasian Federation in 1918. We invite you for the upcoming events of Festival Transkaukazja 2011, about  which we’ll inform you on our website. The closest events are: concert of Armenian band Reincarnation on 23rd June (Głodówka mountain lodge) and presentation in urban space of works of Caucasian artists (23rd-26th of June). Join us!

Author: Sonia Auguścik



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