Budslau fest is an annual celebration in honor of the Budslau Icon of the Mother of God, which is stored in the Catholic church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Budslau, Myadzyel district, Minsk region of Belarus. In 2014, the Budslau Fest, separately from the temple itself, replenished the State list of historical and cultural values ​​of Belarus. And in November 2018, the "Celebration in honor of the Budslau icon of Our Lady (Budslau fest)" was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The tradition to travel to the Budslau icon of the Mother of God has long been passed on from generation to generation. For more than four centuries, pilgrims from different cities and countries come to Budslau to bow to the miraculous icon. This tradition did not break even in the second half of the 20th century, during the Soviet era, when the Budslau temple did not function. Nowadays, as before, tourists and travelers all year round quite actively visit Budslau.

However, every year in early July there are really a lot of guests here. The fact is that the holiday in honor of the icon of the Mother of God of Budslau is celebrated on July 2. Every year, a large-scale celebration is organized on the occasion of this holiday - the Budslau fest, which takes place on the first Friday and Saturday of July. This annual celebration has turned into a very beautiful spiritual event, which gathers in Budslau thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands of pilgrims, tourists and travelers.

The holiday program usually includes a meeting and greeting of pilgrims on foot by priests, several Holy Masses, youth prayer, worship of the Holy Gifts, hours of prayer of the Mother of God, the Holy Rosary, the liturgy of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and much more. One of the most beautiful moments of the holiday is evening Holy Mass and a procession with candles in the dark of night. During this procession, thousands of believers light candles and make a procession following the copy of the Budslau icon of the Mother of God, moving around the central square of the village and returning to the Catholic church.

In modern Belarus, large organized pilgrimages to the Budslau icon of the Mother of God have been made since 1992. Pilgrims from all regions of Belarus, as well as from neighboring countries and far abroad, arrive in Budslau. To worship the shrine together, people overcome great distances. A significant number of participants in the celebration arrive at the festival as part of organized pilgrimage groups on foot, some of which advance to Budslau long before the Budslau festival and travel hundreds of kilometers on foot. Other travelers come by private transport, by bus, by rail, by kayak or by bicycle.

By a good tradition, the inhabitants of the villages adjacent to Budslau warmly welcome the walking and cycling pilgrim groups, offering the pilgrims dinner and overnight. During the pilgrimages on foot, believers pray, sing, participate in Holy Masses. Such groups go to the shrine in any weather, they are not stopped by rain, heat, wind or cold. Already in Budslau, having entered the church, when the last meters are left to the icon, believers kneel down and thus overcome the remaining distance. Along with the traditional ones, fasting pilgrimages are also held, as well as special pilgrimages for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

As a rule, all bishops of the Catholic Church in Belarus, a large number of priests and representatives of various monastic orders, as well as the apostolic nuncio in Belarus, who is the Vatican ambassador and representative of the Pope, come to the fest in Budslau. Representatives of the Greek Catholic clergy, the Belarusian Orthodox Church, hierarchs of other countries, representatives of the government and local leadership also take part in the Budslau festival.

By the way, the central square of the village of Budslau, where the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located, is called the Red Square. At the time of the Budslau festival, many tents are temporarily placed on this square, where you can buy spiritual and fiction books or periodicals, icons and other religious items or souvenirs. Here you can get acquainted with the activities of many religious organizations and publishing houses of Belarus, as well as just have a lunch.

The celebration in honor of the Budslau icon of Our Lady (Budslau fest), together with its integral components such as a pilgrimage on foot and a night procession with candles, is a real treasure of the nation, a symbol of Belarusian identity, and a valuable example of the cultural wealth and heritage of Belarus. In multiconfessional Belarus, the icon of the Mother of God of Budslau is revered as a shrine not only by Catholics, but also by other Christians, and people of all Christian faiths visit Budslau.