News
19/05/2023. Fairy Karelia and Kalevala programs presented in Kaliningrad
May 15-18, 2023:
Specialists of the National Library of Karelia introduced the readers of Kaliningrad to the Karelian and Finnish epic poem Kalevala.
The trip took place within the framework of the Polycultural Cities project in cooperation with the Karelian Public Diplomacy Development Foundation. The aim of the project is to strengthen tolerance and interethnic harmony among secondary school students through the recognition of the culture, traditions and history of the peoples of neighbouring regions. The members of the Karelian creative group are musicians, teachers of folk musical instruments of Karelia, masters of arts and crafts and drawing, creators of programs for children and adults on Karelian culture.
Specialists of the National Library of Karelia brought to the readers of Kaliningrad the Fairy Karelia creative program, told about characters of Kalevala epic poem, one of the most famous masterpieces of the past. The guests of the program visited the ancient land of Kalevala, where Sampo – a source of abundance and prosperity – is located. According to our ancestors, it was endowed with unprecedented power and brought unheard-of piece of luck to its owner. Together we made a journey into the past, and Karelian costumes, music, epic heroes and, of course, books became guides along this path.
Thanks to the Polycultural Cities project implemented with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, our neighbours from Pskov, Veliki Novgorod, Vyborg and Kaliningrad could learn more about the history, culture and literature of Karelia.
The general program Karelia and Kalevala contained a presentation of medieval Karelian costumes, a game for schoolchildren Fairy Karelia, a workshop Kalevala’s pike (zendoodling), a musical program with traditional Karelian music, a workshop on kantele and other Karelian folk instruments and a poster exhibition Silver Kalevala.
A return visit to Karelia of colleagues from the North-West of Russia will take part in September 2023. Cultural events will be held in Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga, Pitkyaranta, Olonets; the project will be completed by the Polycultural Cities Conference.
Partners of the project:
In Karelia: the Karelian Public Diplomacy Development Foundation, the National Library of Karelia, the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia, municipal libraries of Kondopoga, Suoyarvi and Pitkyaranta, the Administration of Olonets National Municipal District, the Karelian Resource Center of NGOs, Petrozavodsk Foundation, the Commissioner for Children's Rights in the Republic of Karelia, Periodika Publishing House and the House of Friendship of Peoples of Karelia.