Sofya Ernst presented the "Getting Married" project to the RUSSIA EXPO guests

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Actress and producer Sofya Ernst delivered a lecture "Synthesis of Folk Traditions and Modern Culture" at the RUSSIA EXPO, shared the history of the "Getting Married" project and showed how to find a balance between authenticity and relevance. The event was organized with the support of the "Istok" ("Source") project, dedicated to the development and popularization of Russian folk culture among young people.

The "Getting Married" project is a series of documentary and staged films that demonstrate the process of preparation for the main family celebration. Each episode is dedicated to the organization of a wedding in the traditions and rituals of a particular region of Russia. The "Getting Married" project avoids direct copying, it manages to create an unforgettable event for newlyweds, reproducing the cultural code.

"I would like to share with you my production experience of creating the "Getting Married" project and how it grew into the "Istok" project. The task of the project is to actualize folk traditions, to make them modern, relevant, to consider ways of their expression. To develop this theme, different methods of communication with the audience can be used — for example, through a television product or various kinds of events. Our team organized the Russian Wedding Exposition," actress and producer Sofya Ernst told the guests of Pavilion No. 84 "House of Culture".

According to Sofya Ernst, she has always been interested and close to the theme of folk art.

"This is a project of Channel One. We travel to the regions of Russia and perform modern weddings, inspired by folk traditions. I've always been interested in folklore, its reflection in fashion and in musical tradition. My team and I started to think how we could tell about it in a format that would be interesting to a wide audience. We chose the format of weddings, because it covers almost all areas of interest to me: it's the study of costume, and acquaintance with artisans, and song and dance tradition. We have already shot 17 episodes," she said.

Sofya Ernst admitted that thanks to the project she got an opportunity to regularly study and actualize folk traditions.

"I am really very touched and very interested in this topic, because it is a connection with the past and at the same time with the future. You could even call it a dialog with eternity," Sofya Ernst noted.

During the lecture Sofya Ernst told the visitors to the Exposition how to rethink the traditions of wedding rituals and make them understandable and interesting for our contemporaries. She noted that a traditional wedding is a treasure trove of meanings and rituals, which maximally concentrate folk wisdom. Some traditions are still an integral part of weddings, others, unfortunately, are forgotten.

As practice shows, the emphasis on clichés and direct copying of traditions without attempts to rethink and actualize them does not resonate with young people, said Sofya Ernst. The task of our generation is not only to preserve the cultural heritage of our ancestors, but also to pass it on to our descendants.