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Bilogorodka Kissel Medieval Festival will be held on 13.09.2025 at House of Culture |
Bilogorodka Kissel Medieval Festival Program 14:00 - 15:15 - Conference "From Past to Present" Atira Ruthenia is a historical reconstruction and fencing club established in 2015 in Kyiv presents activities and special areas for tourists and guests of the festival: - free duel arena Bilgorod Kissel and Kyivan Rus Legend Bilgorod Kissel is Ukrainian folk tale which tells the events that took place during the siege of Bilgorod-Kyivskyi (now is Bilogorodka) by the Pechenegs in 997. When Prince Volodymyr went to Novgorod in 997 to fight against the Pechenegs they found out that the prince was not in Kiev and came and laid siege to Bilgorod-Kyivskyi. Days and weeks passed and the defenders of the fortress were faced with a famine in the city and Prince Volodymyr could not help them. So the civil council held a meeting and said: “So we will have to die of hunger and there is no help from the prince. So is it better for us to die? Let's surrender to the Pechenegs. After all, they will leave someone alive if they kill someone. We are already dying of hunger.” There was an old man in the city who was not at the meeting and he asked: “Why did the people hold a meeting?” They told him that tomorrow they wanted to surrender to the Pechenegs. Hearing this he sent a messenger to the city elders and said to them: “I heard that you want to surrender to the Pechenegs?” The answer was: “The people will not be able to stand the hunger”. He was smart and said: “Listen to me. Do not surrender for another three days and do whatever I tell you. Gather a handful of oats or wheat or bran and all the honey you have”. The people were so happy they promised to obey and do everything. The first day he ordered them to make a batter, from which they make kissel, and to dig a deep well and put an oak barrel at the bottom of the well and fill the well to the top with the batter. The second day he ordered another deep well to be dug, an oak barrel to be placed at the bottom and the well to be filled to the top with honey. The third day he said to send townspeople for the Pechenegs and said: “Take our hostages and ten of your warriors can go to the city and you will see what is happening there”. The Pechenegs, delighted and thinking that the city wanted to surrender, took hostages from them and chose the best warriors in their clans and sent them to the city. When they arrived there the townspeople said to them: “Why are you destroying yourselves when you cannot resist us at all? Stand still for at least ten years - what can you do to us? After all, we have food from the Mother Earth. If you do not believe - see with your own eyes!”. They brought them to the well with the batter, scooped it up with a bucket and poured it into bowls and boiled the kissel in front of them. And when the kissel was ready they brought them to the second well and scooped up honey. The people of Bilgorod-Kyivskyi began to eat first themselves and then gave it to the Pechenegs. The enemy soldiers were surprised and said: “Our khans will not believe this if they do not eat it themselves”. The Pecheneg soldiers returned and told the princes what had happened so the Pecheneg khans came and ate the kissel with honey and were surprised by such a miracle... So having released the hostages, the Pecheneg khans lifted the siege of the city and got out with their troops from Kyivan Rus. This wonderful legend shows the courage and ingenuity of our ancestors who found non-standard solutions to defend their land. The memorial sign and the "Chronicle Well" were opened after well restoration in 2001 in Bilogorodka. Organizers of Bilogorodka Kissel Medieval Festival Department of Culture of the Bilogorodka Village Council |
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