Sails of love, a khorovod of unity and 186 new families: highlights of the first day of the III All-Russian Wedding Festival

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On the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, 8 July, the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" opened at the National Centre RUSSIA and its branches. The main event was a marriage ceremony for 186 couples from across the country, 150 of them in Moscow.

The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, addressed the festival participants. The head of state noted that the All-Russian Wedding Festival holds a special place in the extensive programme of celebrations for the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity and wished the future newlyweds happiness.

"Dear friends, I sincerely congratulate you on a major and significant event — the birth of a new family. I wish you happiness and well-being. Take care of each other. May your dreams come true. For each of us, family is a reliable source of support and the main value in life. It is largely at home, within the family circle, that a person's character and worldview are shaped, cultural traditions are established, along with such unshakable moral principles as caring for loved ones, love for the Motherland and a sense of involvement in its destiny. I am confident that the festival will be held in an atmosphere of friendship and will be remembered for many bright and moving moments. May you live in love and harmony!" the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, said, addressing the couples.

The festival was officially opened by the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, Sergei Kiriyenko, and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Tatyana Golikova. The couples were also congratulated by the Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Natalia Virtuozova, and others.

To reflect the beauty and diversity of the cultures of the peoples of Russia, many couples came to the celebration in national dress or modern interpretations of traditional costumes. The festival participants began their journey towards family happiness with a boat trip along the Moskva River, where they were greeted and congratulated by Moscow residents. The future newlyweds then took part in a festive procession. Along the route were eight artistic installations dedicated to Russia's federal districts and conveying their distinctive character through folk dances, costumes and decorative elements. The procession culminated in a large khorovod of newlyweds in front of the National Centre RUSSIA.

This year's main festival theme is "United in Love". In addition to the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow, the celebration was also held at its branches in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Primorye Territory and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area.

In the capital, 150 couples from different regions of the country took part in the ceremonial marriage registration. In the Grand Concert Hall of the National Centre RUSSIA, a united chorus of 300 voices said "I do" — one of the most touching moments of the day.

A distinctive feature of the third festival was the participation of couples from other countries. Alongside couples from all of Russia's federal districts, newlyweds from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia exchanged rings, signed the register and said the most important words to one another in Moscow.

"When we were invited to take part in the III All-Russian Wedding Festival, we did not hesitate for a second. After all, we were given such an honour and such an opportunity — to represent the Republic of Belarus at this large-scale event in Moscow, at the National Centre RUSSIA!" shared Yegor Rusak and Yekaterina Kovaleva from the Republic of Belarus.

The festive programme was hosted by married couple Regina Todorenko and Vlad Topalov. They noted that they were happy to share the festival atmosphere with the couples "both as hosts and as a strong family".

A landmark moment of the simultaneous marriage registration ceremony was the first performance of the festival's official anthem. The lyrics were written by one of the grooms, Valentin Kucherenko from Tyumen, who also married his beloved Alyona Shatrova at the celebration.

A new tradition was introduced at the III All-Russian Wedding Festival: the newlyweds received exclusive plates featuring the festival's symbols as gifts and left their signatures, wishes and dreams for the future on them.

Another memorable moment was a surprise for Ruslan Vishnyakov and his bride Varvara Pavlova from Volgograd. The groom had dreamed that his best friend and fellow serviceman Alexander Vorobyov would be by his side on his wedding day. They met while submitting documents to the military recruitment office, served together in the same company and became like brothers during that time. Without Ruslan and Varvara knowing, Alexander came to his friend's wedding and congratulated him from the stage of the National Centre RUSSIA.

"I want to express my enormous gratitude for the opportunity to be here, alongside all these caring people who became families today. And I am also very grateful to my friend Alexander Vorobyov for what he did. When I saw him on stage, the emotions were incredibly powerful, overwhelming. I have no words. Many thanks to him," Ruslan Vishnyakov shared.

On the second day of the festival, 9 July, a ceremony will be held to pass on the symbolic flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth "Heart of Russia". The newlyweds will receive from couples who married at previous festivals a flame from Murom, where the patron saints of marriage, Peter and Fevronia, lived.

The festival will also continue with a cultural and educational programme open not only to newlyweds and their families, but to everyone. Lectures by family psychologists will help participants find love and explore questions of child-rearing, culinary tournaments will showcase the wealth of Russia's culinary traditions, and creative workshops will introduce participants to the symbolism of the daisy wreath. The celebration of family, love and fidelity will conclude with the grand musical and choreographic parable "Khorovod. Wedding".

The III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" is being held by the National Centre RUSSIA jointly with the Moscow Government and the Moscow Civil Registry Office. The first festival took place in 2024 as part of the International RUSSIA EXPO. The event has become annual and is held on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.

Anyone wishing to take part in the lectures, workshops and other events of the festival's educational programme on 9 July can register on the National Centre RUSSIA website.