Belorussian straw art

Straw weaving is an ancient folk art in Belarus. This practice boasts more than ten centuries of history and traces back to ancient traditions pertaining to the cult of bread and straw. The ancestors of the Belorussians believed in the divine powers of straw and grain and this was manifested in the ritual animals and dolls they created which were considered to be deities and protectors. It was believed that straw and grain perpetuated fertile powers of nature.
Below you can see some examples of this unique and intricate art form.
For more information, visit Tatiana Repina's on-line museum at http://straw.iatp.by/index_e.html

The goat is the symbol of an abundant crop and fertility

Goat - Larisa Los

The horse symbolizes man's friend, advisor, and defender.

Horse - Larisa Los


Cow - Taisya Agafonenko

Deer - Lidia Glovatskaia

The doll is the Mother of all beings and protector of life.

Lipskaia N.

Lubov Selivonchik

Birds are the souls of ancestors guarding and helping those who live on Earth.


Peacock -Lidia Glovatskaia

Cockerel -Lidia Glovatskaia

Dragon - Lubov Selivonchik