Newlyweds of the All-Russian Wedding Festival were shown the sights of Moscow
The largest
mass marriage ceremony was held at the RUSSIA EXPO as part of the first
All-Russian Wedding Festival, where the Moscow Civil Registry Office officially
registered 151 newlywed couples from all over the country. On May 13, the
holiday for newlyweds continued with a tour of Moscow. It was organized by the
Directorate of the RUSSIA EXPO and the Moscow City Tourism Committee.
The names
of the excursion routes - "Romantic Adventure for Couples in Love", "Moscow -
Paradise for Honeymooners" and "Moscow Gray and Ever Young. With Love for the
Past and Faith in the Future" - demonstrated a special symbolic significance
for young couples who registered their marriage at the RUSSIA EXPO.
"Back in
the 18th century, Russian historian Nikolai Karamzin said: "If you want to get
to know Russia, come to Moscow." And here, in my opinion, it is very symbolic
that newlyweds also start their life in Moscow. And, remembering our history, I
will say that Moscow has stood, stands and will stand, and I very much hope
that the marriages that have been concluded here will also be strong, and the
happiness that has settled here will forever settle in other regions of our
country. And the longer this wonderful wedding project organized at the RUSSIA
EXPO together with Moscow registry offices will last - the more happy people we
will have in our country," said Elena Fominykh, accredited guide-interpreter,
tour guide, winner of the Moscow Masters contest.
Split into
several groups, the tour participants - newlyweds and their relatives -
together with professional guides saw Manezhnaya and Teatralnaya Squares, took
photos at St. Basil's Cathedral, walked along Nikolskaya Street and
Alexandrovsky Garden, looked into Zaryadye Park and, of course, visited the
very heart of Moscow - Red Square. The excursion ended with a collective photo
on Vasilyevsky Descent.
Unforgettable
impressions from visiting Moscow's iconic tourist sites were shared by
newlyweds Anna and Yuri Yezhov from the Tambov region.
"It is not
the first time we are in Moscow, but we have never been on a tour before, and
today we learned a lot of new things. I have walked this route we took many
times, but today I realized that I knew nothing about Moscow at all, I didn't
know the architects, the history. So, everything was very interesting and
exciting," said Anna.
Marina and
Denis Muzykantov from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area will take positive
emotions with them back to their small homeland.
"We visited
places we would hardly have visited if we had come here on our own. I would
also like to note that our guide is very talented, he told everything in a very
engaging and understandable way. And in general, Moscow is a very cool
city," Denis shared his impressions.
On May 12,
the wedding ceremony within the framework of the All-Russian Wedding Festival
was held by employees of the Moscow Registry Office on the Main Street Stage of
the RUSSIA EXPO. Also by tradition, the newlyweds were handed over the symbolic
flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth "Heart of Russia", lit as part of the
ceremony of the start of the Year of the Family with the participation of
Russian President Vladimir Putin. The festival continued with a celebratory
concert with the participation of Polina Gagarina, Irina Dubtsova and other
artists.
The
All-Russian Wedding Festival runs until May 19. During this time couples from
all federal districts of the country will get married at the Exposition. The
guests are also welcome to attend themed days dedicated to traditional folk
wedding rituals in different regions of Russia.
