Everyone knows the expression "works like a bee." But not only bees are working: those who care for them and collect a sweet treat are just as hardworking. It is no accident that in 1997, President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma approved Beekeeper’s Day. Now the beekeepers celebrate their professional day every year on August 19. Unfortunately, there is no such holiday in Russia yet, so in the article we will describe the traditions of its celebration in relation to Ukraine.
How to celebrate the holiday
The work of beekeepers has always been held in high esteem, and especially in Ukraine. This country produces 1/7 of the world's honey. On a holiday, fairs and rich cultural and entertainment programs are organized in large cities. Lviv and Kiev are famous for their large-scale fairs and exhibitions of beekeeping products and performances of folk art groups.
On the day of the beekeeper, the first two beekeepers are remembered - Nikolai Vitvitsky and Pyotr Prokopovich. In cities, conferences, festivals and parades of beekeepers, round tables are held. At the festivals, beekeeping products of Ukrainian beekeepers and firms are presented, honey is tasted, and new books on beekeeping are presented.
Beekeeper's Day in Ukraine is celebrated not only by bee breeding professionals, but also by amateurs. Experts estimate that 5 million bee families work in the country's apiaries, but no one knows how many apiaries in the country. The holiday was created so that people would know their manufacturers and buy quality products. And the beekeepers on this day not only congratulate each other, but also exchange experiences.
Beekeeper Day and Transfiguration
On the day of the beekeeper, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord, in another way it is called the Apple Savior. Traditionally, churches consecrate honey and apples. Beekeepers specially consecrate the hives to the cold, so that their offspring wintered well. In our country, the Transfiguration of the Lord also takes place with the consecration of apples and honey. Therefore, we can say that the day of the beekeeper in Russia on August 19 every year.
Beekeeping in Russia
Our ancestors also obtained wax and honey, looking for hives of wild bees. Beekeeping began to spread in the 10th century. Our honey and wax, along with furs, were the main export commodities. According to estimates of the beekeeper Vitvitsky, in the 16th century, Russia produced 10 million tons of honey. There was an extensive melliferous base due to huge forests, clearings, clearings with a predominance of honey plants.
Production began to fall with the introduction of regular forest protection by Peter I. After the advent of kerosene, as well as the development of sugar production and beet-growing, beekeeping came to naught. Of the forty million bee families that produced honey at the beginning of the 19th century, only five million remained by 1840.
In the future, there is an increase in bee families, which was crossed out by the war of 1940-1945. Since 1960, beekeeping existed at the expense of state and collective apiaries, which increased production volumes. By 1989, the number of bee colonies reached 8.5 million.
Our country really needs a beekeeper’s day, although it is not officially recognized in Russia. Beekeepers need support and attention to their hard work. Then the quantity and quality of honey and bee products produced will increase many times over.