Fairy tales are part of the Russian cultural code — Maxim Oreshkin

---

Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, and Deputy Chairman of the Organising Committee of the National Centre RUSSIA, visited the "Book of Fairy Tales" exposition at the National Centre. According to him, fairy tales form the foundation of the character of those who live in the beautiful, multinational Russia.

"The fairy tale is our cultural code, one of the most crucial and important elements of life. It accompanies us from early childhood. First, our parents read fairy tales to us, and then we read them ourselves. All forms of transmitting such knowledge are extremely important. They preserve our cultural identity, shape a common ground, a basis that is always present for those who live in our beautiful, multinational country," he emphasised.

The journey-style exposition "Book of Fairy Tales" is dedicated to the legends, crafts, and fairy-tale archetypes of Russian folk culture. Eight Russian subjects: the Kaliningrad, Vologda, and Ryazan regions; the Republics of Mordovia, Karelia, and Komi; the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area, and the Stavropol region, have been taking part in it. The "Book of Fairy Tales" is a path that heroes travel through trials, changing step by step and overcoming difficulties, which invariably leads to a happy ending. Guided tours of the exposition are free of charge. To take a tour, one must register on the website Russia.ru in the "Events" section.

During his visit to the National Centre, Maxim Oreshkin also took part in the nationwide "New Year Tree of Wishes" campaign. He took four postcards from the tree, and is going to grant several wishes: for Yelizaveta (the Bryansk region), who dreams of a handicraft kit; for Ilya (the Bryansk region) and Anton (Moscow), who wish to meet the CSKA football team; and for 13-year-old Leonid and his 12-year-old sister Sofya (the Moscow region), who dream of a smart speaker.

"The New Year is a very kind holiday. I recommend everyone try to give kindness and positive emotions at this time, and not only then. The "New Year Tree of Wishes" provides exactly such an opportunity. Thanks to such a project, attention is given to those who truly need it," said Maxim Oreshkin.

The "New Year Tree of Wishes" campaign started in the "Space of Opportunities" of the National Centre RUSSIA on 20 November. On 3 December, it was joined by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, during the International Forum for Civic Participation #WEARETOGETHER. Every guest can become a true magician and perform a miracle by fulfilling a child's cherished wish. During the existence of the charity project, over 320,000 children's wishes from 89 regions of the country have been granted.