Address:
- Vitebsk region, Miory District, Vitebsk region
The local bog Yelnya ranks first in Belarus in terms of reserves of these berries. Yelnya is the largest raised bog in Belarus (one of the largest in Europe). This is a lodging place for over 4,000 gray cranes and tens of thousands of geese of various species, which stop to rest by the Yelnya bog during the autumn migration. The festival draws attention to berries and birds.
Interesting facts about cranberries:
The English name of the cranberry (Cranberry) in translation means «Crane berry». This name was given to cranberries by American settlers. Long, thin cranberry flowers reminded the settlers of the head and beak of a crane.
The generic name for cranberries comes from the Greek words «oxis» — sharp, sour and «coccus» — spherical, i.e. literally «sour ball».
A good ripe cranberry bounces if it falls on a hard surface. Therefore, in English it is also sometimes called Bounceberry.
Interesting facts about cranes:
The Common Crane is one of the largest birds in Europe — its height is up to 140 cm, its wingspan is more than 2 meters.
Cranes spend the night in the swamp, and during the day they feed on the remains of the harvest in the surrounding fields within a radius of 20-30 km from the swamp.
They build nests on the ground, or in wetlands with shallow water.
The cranes pair up for life and keep to each other all year round.
They feed on berries, seeds, insects, molluscs, other small animals and plants.
The flight of gray cranes during wintering lasts the whole October, and sometimes it lasts until November.
Cranes fly in flocks, lined up in a wedge, in the daytime and usually at high altitudes.
Flocks during the autumn migration are much more numerous than in the spring.
Dances are observed in all seasons of the year and can be performed by both a single bird and in pairs, and even in a flock on the nesting territory, while feeding at stops and at resting places.
The gray crane has been listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus since 1981.