The leader of the band "Drazdy", Vitaly Karpanau, who last year announced the group's departure from the stage and plans to engage in Belarusian-language stand-up comedy, shared unexpected footage. The musician published photos in church vestments from the Church of St. Euphrosyne in Ivyanets.
Vitaly Karpanau in church vestments. Photo: Threads
«Merry Christmas! Again, I had to serve as a sexton and pray in the altar of my church in Ivyanets after 25 years! The question from the youngest sexton, a 9-year-old boy, who came up and asked: «Have you served?» pleased me,» — wrote the musician on Threads.
Vitaly Karpanau at church service. Photo: Threads
A sexton (or altar server) is not a priest, but a lay minister who assists during divine services. His main task is to maintain order in the altar and assist the priest in a timely manner.
It is the sextons who light the censer, carry out candles, prepare vestments for priests, ring bells, and clean the altar. This is the lowest rank of church servers, which boys or men from among the faithful often join.
The service, apparently, took place in the lower warm church of the temple of St. Euphrosyne in Ivyanets, which was built in a retrospective-Russian style in 1998 on the site of the former Baroque Trinity Church and consecrated by Metropolitan Filaret.
Vitaly Karpanau in the church altar. Photo: Threads
A Difficult Year for "Drazdy"
The last year has been difficult for Karpanau and his band. "Drazdy", known for their Belarusian-language hits and loyal-to-the-authorities rhetoric, suddenly faced problems. Despite emphasized support for the official course and even a peculiar "repentance" for 2020 (when Karpanau compared protesters to those who "put a knife to the driver's throat", and himself and other frightened people to those who "farted out of fear"), the band came under pressure.
The reason was complaints from pro-Russian activists, specifically Olga Bondarava, who was irritated by the Belarusian language in the musicians' work. In the spring, Karpanau even announced the cessation of the band's activities, as they were effectively banned from performing in large cities.
Later the situation slightly improved: after media resonance, officials allegedly gave permission for concerts in regional centers. However, the capital remained closed for "Drazdy" — they were denied a concert at the Minsk Sports Palace.
Against this background, Karpanau began to seek himself in other genres, announcing solo performances in the format of Belarusian-language stand-up, because, according to his observations, "the village catches up" even with those who moved to a big city and abandoned their native language.
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