This weekend, April 17 and 18, was a busy time for foreign students of the university: they got acquainted with the history, traditions and customs of Pechora and Ukraine. Foreign students under the guidance of curator Valentina Maltseva visited two major republican events – a gala concert «The Tale of the Pechora Land» and a holiday «Saint rushnik».
On April 17, foreign students of the university visited the gala concert «The Tale of the Pechora Land» in the Victor Savin Academic Theatre of Drama. The concert took place during the Pechora Culture Days, which were devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Komi Republic.
Concert program «The Tale of the Pechora Land» was composed of thematic blocks: from ancient legends and history of the city formation up to present day.
— The gala concert of the festival became a selection of the best concert and choreographic performances that gave us, the audience, genuine pleasure – commented Valentina Maltseva, University’s Head of the Centre for Patriotic Education Department of Youth Policy. — And how beautiful and bright the national costumes were! It’s as if all of Russia sent their outfits to Syktyvkar. Cultural potential of Pechora is the true gold of our republic, the gold reserve of our Motherland!
The best bands of Pechora so-called the soul of the republic performed on the stage. The participants of the delegation shared a part of the soul with the audience.
First Deputy Minister of Culture, Tourism and Archives Constantine Baranov noted that the performances prepared by the Pechora citizens for Syktyvkar are only a hundredth of the creative potential of the district.
At the gala concert, the audience saw an orchestra of Russian folk instruments led by the conductor Valerian Timofeev. Youth theater «Crossroads» showed shadow theater and pantomime «Railway bridge construction». Ensemble of Komi songs «Pelysh» and ensemble of folk dance «Souvenir» showed vocal-choreographic composition «Zaran». The ensemble of the Russian song «Sudarushka» performed the composition «There are white nights on Pechora». Watching the cry-dry dance «Ah, my dear, dear», devoted to a terrible war no spectator remained indifferent. In the continuation of the theme there was an exemplary collective, a dance theater «Style», which showed «Echo of War». The song about the soldier in performance of the stunning vocalists of the ensemble «Nocturne» was keeping the spectator in tension. The rhythmical act «No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten» performed by the theater «Crossroads» with the help of hands and glowing elements, allowed viewers to survive catharsis. The vocal group «Countryside» delighted the audience with the song «Green sea taiga». Positive emotions were given by the ensemble of modern dance «Walsett», which in a humorous style showed the waiting room at the station in Pechora. Ensemble «Watercolor», the group of drummers «Majoretki», performers Natalya Pavlova, Svetlana Melnikova – all these incredibly talented people have presented the holiday to the Syktyvkar.
— We are grateful to the Pechora Bands for providing a version of the history and development of the city, for energizing, positive emotions, creativity in the concert, for the hard work in preparation for the gala concert, for your talent! – summed up Valentina Maltseva.
At the end of the gala concert, the head of the administration of the Pechora district, Valery Serov, handed over the relay of the Days of Culture to the leader of Syktyvdin Lyubov Doronina.
Also, on April 18, university students together with Valentina Maltseva visited holiday «Svyatoshnik», which was organized in the House of Friendship of Peoples of the Republic of Komi by national-cultural autonomy of Ukrainians.
— At the meeting, students learned that folk Ukrainian symbols have been formed over a long period of time, creating colorful culture and history of the Ukraine people. Many of them are sacred and are treated with care and respect. And one of the bright symbols that are popular today are rushniks. Each of the symbolic patterns has its own meaning and each has its own magical protection or guide to a good life. Blessing the native and close person on the long way, always gave with him a stitched ruin to make the way easier and the return faster – the head of the Patriotic Education Centre shared.
As the students learned at the holiday, the ceremonial role of towels in the national household was manifold: they were hung on the branches of sacred trees, decorated the red corners of huts and icons, dozens of embroidered towels were prepared for the wedding, the towels were used to put coffins in the grave and to receive a newborn child.
The meeting was accompanied by a concert of the Ukrainian diaspora, where each group wanted to deliver to the audience the significance of one of the Ukrainian people traditions – presence of rushnik in the house.
— Unfortunately, my opinion of Russia was formed by films and news. I thought the sky in the Komi Republic would be grey, people were silent and frowned. It’s not like that. I’ve lived in Syktyvkar for six months, there are many young people in the city, we are constantly acquainted with different traditions of peoples and Slavic culture, food. All people are very friendly. I enjoy studying here very much — shared his opinion an Egyptian student from Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University.