The true strength of the country: participants of the "Russia — a Family of Families" marathon share what national unity means to them

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At the "Russia — a Family of Families" marathon at the National Centre RUSSIA, representatives of more than 190 of the country's peoples came together. For each of them, the main theme of the year — the unity of Russia's peoples — got filled with personal meanings born from the event's atmosphere.

Guests named vibrant national costumes and the opportunity to openly and proudly display the multicoloured tapestry of Russian culture as symbols of this unity.

"For me, unity is when we can gather as a huge crowd wearing our national clothing, support our culture, have a good time, unite, and understand how vast our country is. The eyes are dazzled by the colours and vibrancy of our culture," shared Anton Kuznetsov. 

Genuine unity is built on deep human connections, mutual support, and respect, believes Zemfira Sarukhanova. 

"The unity of peoples is, first of all, being there for each other regardless of nationality or religion. It means always being together, helping, being a strong, united people. And, of course, the incredibly colourful costumes of all Russia's peoples are striking and admirable, and inspire us to strengthen and continue our traditions. I am very glad that this year has been declared the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia," she said. 

The sense of community often begins with live, informal communication. Gordei Tukhbatullin said he first experienced such a feeling at the "Russian Student Spring" festival in Kazan. 

"In one hall, absolutely all peoples gathered. That was what we call unity: one atmosphere, one spirit, and one emotion. And it doesn't matter what nationality you are; the main thing is to be friends and have good relations," the young man is sure.

For Anna Savina, the "Russia — a Family of Families" marathon became that moment of truth when the scale and strength of the multinational people can be understood not only with the mind but felt with the heart. 

"When you simply live in the country, you, of course, understand that it is multinational, but more in theory. But when representatives of all peoples gather in one hall, you feel this unity not just in words, you understand all the strength and power of your country and feel support in reality," concluded Anna.

The educational marathon "Russia — a Family of Families", dedicated to the launch of the Year of Unity of the Peoples of our country, took place at the National Centre RUSSIA on 5 February and brought together over four thousand guests. The event was organised by the Russian society Znanie in partnership with the Government of Russia, the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of Russia, Rosmolodezh, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, the National Centre RUSSIA, the House of the Peoples of Russia, the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia, and the Eksmo-AST Publishing Group.