06/07/097 June, 2009 Festival of Crafts on Whitsunday in Suzdal
 Suzdal is always crowded on Whitsunday. A traditional Festival of Folk Crafts will take place at the Museum of Wooden Architecture. Needlewomen and potters, blacksmiths and woodcarvers the best master-hands from neighboring regions will come to Suzdal to show their talents and love for their native land.
On the grass greens amidst the old wooden houses of the museum one will see performances of musicians and dancers from Vladimir, Suzdal, Moscow and Ivanovo.
This time, those who will come to the festival will have a rare opportunity to make an imaginary musical tour of the Kizhi island, where a famous museum of wooden architecture is located. An ethnic group from this museum will be a guest of our festival. The Kizhi group was organized 20 years ago. Its repertoire is unique because it consists of authentic folk songs found by research workers of the museum (members of the group) in the northern villages of Russia.
  
Children will be especially lucky at the festival. They will have a chance to play old Russian games (including gorodki - a kind of skittles), to perform authentic Russian round dances. Meanwhile, their parents will be able to sample a little of everything (to start with traditional Suzdalian mead and to finish with no less traditional fancy bread).
The organizers of the festival decided to recreate one of the oldest and most beautiful rites performed on Whitsunday by peasant women. During this rite, a dressed-up little girl walked over the crossed hands of women to the field, tore up a spike of rye or wheat, ran towards the church and threw the spike there. This procedure was a guarantee of a rich harvest.
We invite you to take part in the Folk Crafts Festival.
  
Celebration begins at 11 a.m. on Whitsunday, June 7.
Welcome to Suzdal!
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