Every day, a full-time city lamplighter in an antique uniform lights 17 kerosene lamps by hand. The start time of this ceremony varies every day, and it usually begins shortly before sunset. But the exact time for the current day is indicated on a special clock at the beginning of Sovetskaya Street. April 1 started at 7:30 p.m. By the way, this clock is only a time indicator, and the ritual itself does not begin at the clock, but at the intersection of streets. Sovetskaya and Ostrovsky are not far from the Lantern bar. Already from a distance, you can see the accumulation of tourists in the area. The lamplighter appears from the alleys with his ladder, deftly climbs on it, lights the first lantern, and so goes in a circle (to the clock and back), accompanied by a large crowd of tourists. The whole ceremony lasts about 30 minutes. At each lantern, a lamplighter is "attacked" by those who want to hold on to a button on his uniform (supposedly contributing to the fulfillment of desires) and take a photo together. A surprisingly self-contained person who remains calm and friendly to everyone. By the way, after 20-25 minutes, the crowd gradually dispersed. We waited until the end of the ceremony, we didn't rub the button, we didn't take photos, but Victor the lamplighter answered our questions. It turns out that he was selected for this full-time position in 2009 based on a casting call. He confirmed that he has never missed his shift since. Later, we thought for a long time about how he could withstand such a regime. It seems that in fact the load is not excessive, twice a day for an hour. But you can't go on vacation, 17 years without a vacation! And you can't get sick, there's no substitute. Victor also advised us to come in the morning when he extinguishes the lanterns. The ceremony is exactly the same as in the evening, but tourists do not come to it.

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Ульяна К.

Level 7 Local Expert

Очень интересная традиция! Так аутентично! Так атмосферно! Обязательно посмотрите, если будете в Бресте

Анна Хальзова, VK: @khalzova.anna

Level 20 Local Expert

We were in Brest for several days, and of course, we wanted to see the lighting of lanterns, the process itself, and the legendary Viktor Petrovich in action) A charming man in a nice suit. But what about without such an image? After all, he is in family photo albums all over the world, you need to look stately))) How much patience does he have, because a crowd of people is running after him, everyone wants to take a picture ... queues are forming. I felt sorry for him. But I think he's used to it, even posing) The lighting of the lanterns starts from the place where the time is indicated. The time is always different, depending on sunset and sunrise. A total of 17 lanterns are lit. The last one is where the fireman stands and the number of the Ministry of Emergency Situations is indicated (the place of the lamplighter's button is Brest lamplighter).

See original · Русский

Lighting time of the lanterns

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