Dance kruuga — and you will definitely become happy: a wedding according to Karelian traditions was performed at the RUSSIA EXPO

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The Republic of Karelia continued the tradition of wedding ceremonies with national flavor. The guests of the exposition together with the newlyweds performed kruuga — the most ancient circular Karelian dance, without which no holiday in the region, let alone a wedding, could do. Karelians believe that everyone who has taken part in this dance at least once, will definitely become happy.

Alexander Kobrin and Maria Mishina from Petrozavodsk, who married on this day, showed the guests of the exposition the wedding rites of the Zaonezhye region.

Alexander Kobrin works as a crane operator, is engaged in boxing and fishing. Maria Mishina works in the beauty industry, is fond of extreme sports — including parachuting. She also volunteers for a search organization and helps a shelter for homeless animals.

For the solemn wedding ceremony, the newlyweds chose wedding costumes characteristic of the indigenous peoples of Zaonezhye.

"We are very happy to support the national traditions of Karelia. Our grandparents got married approximately the way we have shown today. My costume today is the costume of a rich groom. People didn't wear such clothes in villages, but in the city, if you had money, you dressed like this," explained Alexander. "I feel overjoyed that we had a chance to represent Karelia and its wedding traditions. My gold-colored dress and cap with a crown symbolize a rich bride, and my braids are woven with a lot of ribbons, with which our brides used to traditionally whip their girlfriends so that they could get married too. And as for the RUSSIA EXPO itself — it is very large-scale, grandiose, simply majestic!" Maria added.

The marriage ceremony introduced the guests of VDNH to the elements of wedding rites of the residents of the Republic of Karelia — the traditional crying of the bride, round dance rituals to ward off illnesses and diseases, symbolic tying of the newlyweds' hands with a rushnik towel, gifts giving, parental blessings, offering a loaf with cups. In addition, the groom was given the bride's silk ribbon as a symbol of her parting with the maiden's freedom. The wedding was accompanied by songs and round dances performed by the artists of the Russian song ensemble "Katyusha", a diploma winner and laureate of international and all-Russian contests and festivals.

Special wedding traditions have been created at the RUSSIA EXPO. One of them is the solemn handover to the newlyweds of the flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth "Heart of Russia", lit at the Exposition on January 23 in honor of the Year of the Family announced by the President. At the end of the wedding ceremony, Maria and Alexander went to the Palace of Marriage at VDNH, where they, like many other married couples, were handed over a flicker of this symbolic family flame, already spread throughout all regions of the country. 

"We hope that the fire of the family hearth will warm your family and bring you warmth and children's laughter. We are very happy that you have come to us, to the RUSSIA EXPO, and that you celebrated your wedding in folk traditions and honor them. Today all the spectators of your wedding ceremony are rejoicing with you," said Yulia Stoyanova, Project Manager of the ANO «Directorate of the Exhibition of Achievements "Russia"».