News
25/03/2026. Living Folk Word Educational Program
During the annual cultural festival Kalevala Mosaic, the Living Folk Word Educational Program took place dedicated to the 225th anniversary of Trofim Ryabinin, 205th anniversary of Petri Shemeikka, 160th anniversary of Anna Pashkova, 140th anniversary of Anisya Vatchieva and Anni Lehtonen.
On this day, visitors were introduced to the lives and works of Karelia's most famous storytellers, who preserved Karelian runes, Russian bylinas, and folk lament culture for future generations. Excerpts from bylinas, runes, and laments were recited, along with the recollections of folklorists, artists, and writers who were struck by the creativity and human qualities of ordinary people who preserved their immeasurable spiritual riches despite life's adversities.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the renowned Ryabinin’s storyteller family: Lyudmila Afonina, member of the Karelia Genealogical Society (Petrozavodsk), and Margarita Vanchurova, employee of the National Library of Karelia.
We are pleased that future tour guides – students from Petrozavodsk State University – attended the meeting. We hope that the diverse information about the storytellers and the tourist sites they remembered will enrich the students' knowledge for their future professional careers!
We invite you to delve deeper in the materials of the National Library of Karelia dedicated to Karelian storytellers (The Kalevala section)!
