Lukashenka's granddaughters pick national literary award (photo)
The winners of children's literary contest get 100,000 BYR in cash and Jakub Kolas diplomas.
Nastassia and Daria Lukashenka arrived at the ceremony along with their mother. The girls have shared between themselves the first place at the national children's literary contest in the Junior Schoolchildren nomination.
Nastassia, Daria Lukashenka and their mother
The girls were seated in the first row together with their mother. The granddaughters of the Belarus leader received cash prizes of 100,000 BYR (slightly less than 100 EUR) each and the books signed by Jakub Kolas' son Mikhas Mitskevich. Mr Mitskevich did not show up for the ceremony.
The girls were seen listening quietly to the greetings from Father the Frost and Snow Maiden and applauding when runners-up were being awarded.
Towards the end of the ceremony, organizers pulled the head of the state's granddaugters to dance, and the latter would not resist.
Songs for the winners
When asked by the Euroradio journalist, the girls tried to answer in Belarusian.
"We read Jakub Kolas' and Janka Kupala's works. I wrote about an extraordinary snow who became a living being," Nastassia Lukashenka tells about her fairtale Настасся Лукашэнка.
Her sister picked a more fantasy-like character.
"I wrote about an unicorn, about how I rode into a wonder land. We wrote it as a narration," says Daria Lukashenka. Shortly afterwards, the girls left.
Runner-up Ales Klikunou wrote his fairy-tale about a homeless dog and his adventures when paying a visit to Father the Frost. The boy assured the Euroradio reporter and he always speaks Belarusian at home.
"Yes, I speak Belarusian at home. I speak Russian at schook, because it is the Russian-speaking school," says Ales. His fairy-tale is his first literary work.
Ales Klikunou with his 2nd place diploma
The children's literary contest was timed to celebrate the 130th birthday anniversary of Jakub Kolas, Belarus' national literary legend, which was marked throughout the year of 2012.
Dozens of schoolchildren took part in the contest in two age categories - Junior Schoolchildren and Schoolchildren. In the latter nomination, the winner was Maxim Krauchanka, runner-up - Uladzimir Koshkin.
