The Legend of the Grove of Dancing Birch Trees

Almost every prominent place in Kazakhstan has some kind of legend connected to it. The national park of Borovoe is home to one of the most amazing places in Kazakhstan: the grove of the dancing birch trees. So this magical place is not an exception. There is a beautiful story connected with the origin of the grove of birching trees. According to the legend once the youngsters of the nearby settlements decided to organize a song and dance festival with a lot of competitions.

The ruler of the area-khan also wanted to attend the festival, but he understood quite well that if he appeared there the crowd would be confused. They wouldn’t behave naturally and spontaneously. Eventually, they would fail. So he decided to go there undercover. He only took one of his guards and dressed very casually.

Everybody was having fun, people were singing, dancing. When the festival was at its highest the spectacle started and the young girls appeared in the centre. The khan was fascinated by them so this time he couldn’t resist himself and shouted: “Long life to your beauty!”. The girls, of course, recognized who it was. They were so frightened that froze in their place and turned into white birch trees. In this way, their beauty is preserved for many centuries. The graceful dance of the birch trees attracts tourists to this place year by year. This is a place where you can get in touch with the legend of nature. People even say that if you press your cheek to the warm crust of the tree, you will get good luck. So it’s a good omen to visit this magical area!