| Carnival Participants | Ensembles: Ergyron (Chukotka), Elvel (Kamchatka), Ener (the Magadan Region), Jungre dance ensemble (Kalmykia), ethnographic companies from Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Krasnodar and other ancient cities of Russia, etc. |
The national culture of the peoples of Russia can be compared to a unique multicolored canvas, weaved from various cultural and religious traditions. At the parade of carnivals it will be represented by a procession of the four ritual carnival groups.
The vast expanses of the Russian North have long since been home to a few most enigmatic peoples, such as the Chukchi, the Evenki, the Nenetsi, the Koryaki and the Yukaghir, for whom communication with spirits is still just as natural as contacts with the living men. The ensembles Ergyron (Chukotka), Elvel (Kamchatka) and Ener (the Magadan Oblast) will remind the spectators of the shaman rituals with animal skins and masks, deerskin tambourines and khomuses (the national music instrument).
A terrifying dance of demons accompanied by guttural singing will bring to life the national Kalmyk mystery Tsam (performed by the Jungre dance ensemble).
The beliefs of the Buryats and the Tuvins are rooted in the Buddhist religion. The representatives of these peoples will bring with themselves the double-sided golden masks, large silk widths and exotic costumes, lifting the veil from the mysterious world of Buddhist rituals.
The Russian carnival traditions are connected with the fair feasts of the Maslenitsa (the Shrovetide) and the Christmas. Sheepskins turned inside out, brightly painted faces, masks of goats and birds, huge straw dolls - all these are typical features of a traditional Russian carnival. The plays of skomorokhs, country caroling, town booth shows and stories of heroes of the national epos will be presented by ethnographic companies from Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Krasnodar and other ancient cities of Russia.