The third festival "Interethnic Round Dance of Traditions" took place on the land of Arzamas.

      Photo: Oleg Frolov

      Arzamas has become the third district to host the festival "Interethnic Round Dance of Traditions," which takes place in the municipalities of the Nizhny Novgorod region as part of the project "Culture of the Small Homeland." The folklore festival has previously been held in Semyonovo and Sharanga. In each municipality, it is timed to coincide with large-scale events. Thus, in Arzamas, the festival took place as part of the V Congress of Small Towns of the Grodno and Nizhny Novgorod regions.

      "The festival 'Interethnic Round Dance of Traditions' is a living proof that culture knows no borders, and the friendship of peoples is the main value. It is symbolic that Arzamas welcomed the festival precisely during the V Congress of Small Towns of the Nizhny Novgorod and Grodno regions. This once again confirms: we not only talk about unity but also create it through songs, dances, crafts, and a common desire to preserve our rich heritage for future generations," emphasized the chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Yevgeny Lyulin.

      The event was organized by the Council of Municipal Entities of the Nizhny Novgorod region with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives and the regional branch of the United Russia party.

      Creative teams from six municipalities in the south, east, and north of the region participated in the festive concert.

      "The round dance is not just a dance. It is a symbol of unity, where people of different generations and cultures come together in one circle. It is through song, music, and dance that we preserve memory and pass it on. Today in Arzamas, it is especially important to feel this connection—to get acquainted with the culture of Belarus and share our own. After all, a song truly reflects the soul of a people: hearing it, one can understand a lot about those who created and carefully preserve it," noted the senator of the Russian Federation, Olga Shchetinina.

      Artists from the Krasnooktyabrsky district, Lukoyanov, Vorotynets, Sharanga, Ardatov, and Sergach introduced the audience to the richness and uniqueness of the multinational cultural heritage of the Nizhny Novgorod region.

      "The festival has already become an event that is awaited in the municipalities. It truly unites people, showing how rich and diverse our land is. In each city, it sounds in its own way, but the essence is the same: we know how to be friends, respect each other, and take pride in living in such a multinational and hospitable region. And the fact that the round dance was picked up in Arzamas during the V Congress of Small Towns is doubly symbolic. This means that cultural dialogue is strengthening not only within the region but also beyond its borders," emphasized Dmitry Filipenko, executive director of the Council of Municipal Entities of the Nizhny Novgorod region.

      Each delegation prepared its own exhibition. Guests of the event learned about folk crafts traditional to the represented territories and their gastronomic features.

      Interactive platforms were available at the festival, where everyone could not only watch but also try their hand at folk crafts: for example, painting wooden figurines under the guidance of a master from the Lukoyanovsky district, while artisans from Ardatov taught how to weave bast shoes from bast and craft figures from paper tubes.

      "We always enjoy coming to such festivals and organizing our master classes. It is important for us to share what we know: we weave souvenir bast shoes from paper tubes, make bead jewelry, and mold from clay. When guests try to make something with their own hands, they touch a living tradition. And this is perhaps the most valuable thing—not just to show a finished product but to teach and inspire, so that everyone takes a piece of our culture home with them," shared Tatiana Bozhenova, an employee of the Ardatov Local History Museum.

      Sergach presented knitted shawls and soft toys, while the Krasnooktyabrsky district brought museum items of peasant life—each exhibit was accompanied by a story about how people lived and worked in these lands centuries ago. Residents of Vorotynets treated guests to honey and fish.

      "The Vorotynets district is also multinational: we have Russians, Chuvash, Tatars, Mari, and Mordvins living here. Therefore, such festivals are a natural environment for us. In unity, there is our strength. We came to Arzamas in a good mood to show ourselves and see others. We brought smoked and dried fish produced by ourselves—after all, Vorotynets stands at the confluence of the Sura and Volga rivers. And also the works of our artisans from the local history museum: bead jewelry and bags," said Elena Noskova, head of the culture, sports, and tourism department of the Vorotynets municipal district.

      One of the most popular master classes was conducted by the delegation of the Sharanga municipal district—where both Russian and Mari traditions are carefully preserved. Cultural organizer Tatiana Volkova from the Chernomuzhsky rural cultural center and her colleagues demonstrated how to prepare the national Mari dish—pies with cottage cheese and green onions. The dough for them is kneaded without salt, like for dumplings, and the edge is pinched with a special pattern—a braided braid that preserves the juice and aroma of the filling. In ancient times, such pies were baked in a Russian oven for major holidays and weddings, but today they can also be made in a regular oven.

      "It is very unusual that the cottage cheese is with onions and not sweet—I have never tried such pies before. I understand that making the edges so beautifully is not easy; the skill is developed over the years, but I liked it so much that I will definitely try to repeat it at home. Very tasty, thank you very much!" shared her impressions the participant of the master class, Margarita Trofimova.

      The culmination of the celebration was a large common round dance, uniting all participants and guests of the holiday and symbolizing the unity of representatives of different cultures and nationalities in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

      The festival "Interethnic Round Dance of Traditions" will continue its journey across the region. The celebration will take place in the Lukoyanovsky municipal district, Balakhna, Vorotynets, and Nizhny Novgorod.

      Photo: Oleg Frolov

      Source of the news:

      Council of Municipal Entities of the Nizhny Novgorod region