Straw Art Festival- one of the most original holidays that takes place annually in rural areas of Japan. Farming communities in Kagawa and Niigata prefectures stage original exhibitions of giant straw sculptures left in the fields after harvest.

Perhaps one of the most famous straw sculptures in the world was installed a couple of years ago in the Dutch town of Nieuwerkerk. But the Japanese can boast of a whole zoo: macaques, elephants, turtles and even sharks - you can’t see anyone at the festival.

This year, among the most memorable sculptures we should note a shark with an open mouth, whose jaws looked truly terrifying, as well as a friendly wallaby kangaroo, in whose bag children who came to the holiday could sit. Note that even the terrible predators in their straw guise looked very friendly. In addition, if you wish, you could climb onto a ship and a tank, sculptures of which were also made by local craftsmen.

Fortunately, the sculptures are built firmly and securely, following the same pattern as the thatched roofs on the cottages. The base is a wooden frame, and the top is covered with dried stems. Thanks to this, spectators could feel safe without damaging or breaking the miracle structures.

Of course, the Straw Art Festival is a wonderful event that is pleasant to attend on a warm Sunday afternoon with the whole family. Positive emotions and a sea of ​​impressions are guaranteed for children and adults! Perhaps the idea of ​​an original holiday can be adopted by our farmers.

Every year, before Dozhinki, unusual straw compositions appear in the fields of Belarus. The idea is not new: straw figures can be found in Germany, Poland, and even Japan. Belarusian agricultural creativity pleases motorists. Many people cannot pass by, they stop their cars and take pictures against the backdrop of straw people, cows, roosters and tractors. Let's be honest, we couldn't resist either.

Straw figures of a man and a woman in national costumes near the village of Ilyanskie Khuty in the Vileika district of the Minsk region.

As a rule, straw figures reach a height of several meters and can be seen from afar. The themes of the compositions are usually devoted to agriculture. You can see cows, roosters, and combine harvesters with tractors. However, on the roads of the Myadel and Vileika districts, there are also national motifs in the straw art. Imagine a couple of giant Belarusians in national costumes in the middle of a field. However, why imagine if our photo report clearly demonstrates this.

Castles are also a favorite theme of rural designers. A couple of bales of straw, windows and a roof made of cardboard - consider the castle ready.

When you see such compositions, you regretfully think that they are short-lived and will sooner or later disappear from the field. Before the cold weather sets in and the heavy rains begin, there is still time to capture yourself against the backdrop of, for example, this giant bear.

If you, like us, are partial to agricultural creativity, then send photos of this year’s straw figures with a note where they are located and an indication of the authorship of the photo by email [email protected]. We will definitely make another photo selection.

on a sheaf - a heap,

from haystacks - a haystack.”

In the life of a rural worker, nothing was wasted, and nothing was made from straw, a unique natural material: bast shoes, dishes, utensils, and straw hats are known among all peoples who grow cereal crops.

For a long time, in different parts of the world there were customs of making figures of people from straw.

and animals.

Often such figures were used in folk rituals and holidays.

The ancient Slavs celebrated the end of the harvest by installing a female figure of the Mother of Bread on the field,
made from the very last harvested sheaves.

On Maslenitsa, the ancient Slavic pagan holiday of the New Year,
which began on the day of the spring equinox, a straw effigy of Winter was burned at the stake.

Small straw dolls were considered a talisman for the home,
reliable keepers of the home.

Straw even now does not leave human imagination indifferent.

In different countries, happy holidays are celebrated with competitions for making funny figures from straw.

In the south of England, the Straw Bear Festival takes place at the end of summer.

For the holiday, men dress up in costumes made of straw.

and, dancing, walk along the streets, begging people for alms.

In the Czech Republic, “straw” celebrations are called “Slamak”,
they are held in the Czech city of Cesky Paradise.

In the vicinity of the city there are statues,

sculptures,

made from straw,

and for children, large bales of straw are used to create a fun labyrinth.

Every year in the Latvian city of Salaspils there is a festival of straw figures.

Cool animals made of straw,

fairy tale characters

and cartoon characters

are waiting for guests in the National Botanical Garden

city ​​of Salaspils (Latvia)

from February to April.

The organizers of each holiday want to capture the imagination of their guests,

will be remembered for something unusual and hitherto unseen.

And this is not so easy to achieve.

And 56-year-old British farmer Chris Sadler, from Cheshire, UK,
the owner of a local ice cream company even created a tradition of sorts. Every year he creates a giant sculpture out of straw bales.

Chris and his wife Cheryl began creating monumental straw statues in 1998.

For fun, Chris Sadler built an incomprehensible sculpture for the coming millennium by piling 350 bales of hay into a heap. The result was a hemisphere with a diameter of 100 and a height of 15 meters. Rays stuck out in all directions from this hemisphere. Even the author himself found it difficult to say what his Millennium Dome (as everyone called it) represents.

The one-meter (36 ft) meerkat monument lifts the spirits of a huge number of people,

who came to look at the straw statue of the animal.

The “Snugnick” rocket he created rises 15 meters above the field,

and surprised tourists are greeted by a huge straw dinosaur

Photos of the British farmer's creations have gone around the world.
Here is a figure called "Angel of the North".

And this is a copy of the London Eye Ferris wheel.

Windmill that was illuminated at night

A replica of the Jodrell Bank telescope, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the space age. Weighing six tons

A 21-meter (71 ft) replica of the famous Big Ben tower, which is 4 times smaller than the real one in London. It took more than 500 bales of hay, weighing a total of 20 tons.

A real working clock is built into the top of the hay tower, albeit to save money

There are only 2 dials installed, on the sides that look at the road.

There are magnificent straw sculptures in Russia too

In the city of Bobruisk, residents erected a huge monument out of straw to the well-fed Beaver.

The frame of the beaver is wooden. Height about 5 meters

A giant sculpture of an eagle was installed near the railway station in the city of Orel
and is made of straw fixed to a wire frame.

Straw figures are also constantly presented in landscape design exhibitions at the All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNH) - the All-Russian Exhibition Center.

They are made on a wooden frame and trimmed with straw.

Well, and finally:

In China, a 90-meter long penis was built from straw.

The sculpture, located in the Shaman amusement park, is called the Heavenly Column. More than 1,800 meters of straw were used to construct the structure, which was wrapped around a steel rod. The sculpture is located on a platform at the top of Oyinglong Mountain. Park President Chen Weiyan said the sculpture is a totem for the city. Chinese legend says that a shaman named Evenki gave the cruel ruler a totem in the shape of a penis so that she would respect men and not kill them at will. After this, the ruler installed a totem on Mount Oyinglong.

The director of the Chinese Cultural Association claims that the totem symbolizes the happiness and prosperity of the ancestors.

Some tourists, meanwhile, say that the statue makes them uncomfortable. However, not everyone. For example, a mother who visited the park with her child said that it was just a statue and it could become a symbol of the park.

“By a straw a sheaf,

on a sheaf - a heap,

from haystacks - a haystack.”

In the life of a rural worker, nothing was wasted, and nothing was made from straw, a unique natural material: bast shoes, dishes, utensils, and straw hats are known among all peoples who grow cereal crops.

For a long time, in different parts of the world there were customs of making figures of people from straw.

and animals.

Often such figures were used in folk rituals and holidays.

The ancient Slavs celebrated the end of the harvest by installing a female figure of the Mother of Bread on the field,
made from the very last harvested sheaves.

On Maslenitsa, the ancient Slavic pagan holiday of the New Year,
which began on the day of the spring equinox, a straw effigy of Winter was burned at the stake.

Small straw dolls were considered a talisman for the home,
reliable keepers of the home.

Straw even now does not leave human imagination indifferent.

In different countries, happy holidays are celebrated with competitions for making funny figures from straw.

In the south of England, the Straw Bear Festival takes place at the end of summer.

For the holiday, men dress up in costumes made of straw.

and, dancing, walk along the streets, begging people for alms.

In the Czech Republic, “straw” celebrations are called “Slamak”,
they are held in the Czech city of Cesky Paradise.

In the vicinity of the city there are statues,

sculptures,

made from straw,

and for children, large bales of straw are used to create a fun labyrinth.

Every year in the Latvian city of Salaspils there is a festival of straw figures.

Cool animals made of straw,

fairy tale characters

and cartoon characters

are waiting for guests in the National Botanical Garden

city ​​of Salaspils (Latvia)

from February to April.

The organizers of each holiday want to capture the imagination of their guests,

will be remembered for something unusual and hitherto unseen.

And this is not so easy to achieve.

And 56-year-old British farmer Chris Sadler, from Cheshire, UK,
the owner of a local ice cream company even created a tradition of sorts. Every year he creates a giant sculpture out of straw bales.

Chris and his wife Cheryl began creating monumental straw statues in 1998.

For fun, Chris Sadler built an incomprehensible sculpture for the coming millennium by piling 350 bales of hay into a heap. The result was a hemisphere with a diameter of 100 and a height of 15 meters. Rays stuck out in all directions from this hemisphere. Even the author himself found it difficult to say what his Millennium Dome (as everyone called it) represents.

The one-meter (36 ft) meerkat monument lifts the spirits of a huge number of people,

who came to look at the straw statue of the animal.

The “Snugnick” rocket he created rises 15 meters above the field,

and surprised tourists are greeted by a huge straw dinosaur

Photos of the British farmer's creations have gone around the world.
Here is a figure called "Angel of the North".

And this is a copy of the London Eye Ferris wheel.

Windmill that was illuminated at night

A replica of the Jodrell Bank telescope, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the space age. Weighing six tons

A 21-meter (71 ft) replica of the famous Big Ben tower, which is 4 times smaller than the real one in London. It took more than 500 bales of hay, weighing a total of 20 tons.

A real working clock is built into the top of the hay tower, albeit to save money

There are only 2 dials installed, on the sides that look at the road.

There are magnificent straw sculptures in Russia too

In the city of Bobruisk, residents erected a huge monument out of straw to the well-fed Beaver.

The frame of the beaver is wooden. Height about 5 meters

A giant sculpture of an eagle was installed near the railway station in the city of Orel
and is made of straw fixed to a wire frame.

Straw figures are also constantly presented in landscape design exhibitions at the All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNH) - the All-Russian Exhibition Center.

They are made on a wooden frame and trimmed with straw.

Well, and finally:

In China, a 90-meter long penis was built from straw.

The sculpture, located in the Shaman amusement park, is called the Heavenly Column. More than 1,800 meters of straw were used to construct the structure, which was wrapped around a steel rod. The sculpture is located on a platform at the top of Oying Long Mountain. Park President Chen Weiyan said the sculpture is a totem for the city. Chinese legend says that a shaman named Evenki gave the cruel ruler a totem in the shape of a penis so that she would respect men and not kill them at will. After this, the ruler installed a totem on Mount Oyinglong, reports East Asia Economic and Trade News.

The director of the Chinese Cultural Association claims that the totem symbolizes the happiness and prosperity of the ancestors.

Some tourists, meanwhile, say that the statue makes them uncomfortable. However, not everyone. For example, a mother who visited the park with her child said that it was just a statue and it could become a symbol of the park.

Wow!

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