The National Centre RUSSIA to host the III All-Russian Wedding Festival with a vibrant cultural programme
On 8 and 9 July, the National Centre RUSSIA will host the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts". More than 100 couples from across Russia and, for the first time, from other countries will say "I do" during a simultaneous marriage registration ceremony. Festival participants will also enjoy a vibrant cultural and educational programme featuring master classes, lectures, open discussions, expositions and many other events exploring the journey from falling in love to building a strong family.
The grand celebration of love will begin on 8 July, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. In the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, the festival's central theme is "United in Love" — the unity of hearts, cultures, traditions and values.
One of the most spectacular events will be the wedding procession of the newlyweds. It will begin with a romantic cruise along the Moscow River aboard passenger boats. The couples will then walk along Vystavochny Lane, where eight themed installation platforms dedicated to Russia's federal districts will be arranged. The procession will conclude with a traditional khorovod (round dance) performed by all the newlyweds in front of the National Centre RUSSIA.
The central event of the festival's opening day will be the simultaneous marriage registration ceremony for more than 100 participating couples. This year, alongside Russian couples, the ceremony will also include international and foreign couples from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. The newlyweds will receive congratulations from distinguished public figures and popular Russian performers. The ceremony will continue with the transfer of the flame from the All-Russian Family Hearth "Heart of Russia": couples who married at previous festivals will pass on a symbolic flame from Murom, the home of Saints Peter and Fevronia, the patron saints of marriage.
On 8 July, festive wedding ceremonies will also take place at the National Centre RUSSIA branches in the Krasnoyarsk and Primorye Territories and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra.
The second day of the festival will feature a cultural and educational programme for newlyweds, their guests and everyone interested in marriage and family life. The programme will explore the journey of building a family — from love and a conscious choice of partner to marriage, children and the future. Its central focus is the family as a national priority and the foundation of a stable society and the unity of the peoples of Russia.
The programme on 9 July will include lectures, open discussions and meetings with well-known public figures. One distinctive feature will be the participation of newlyweds themselves as speakers in discussions devoted to family life, continuity between generations and shared life together.
One of the key events of the second day will be the musical and choreographic parable "Khorovod. Wedding" — a symbol of unity, strong family bonds and the willingness to extend a helping hand to others. This traditional circle dance, cherished in Russia for centuries, will bring together all festival participants. Through the traditional values founded on the love between a man and a woman, it will showcase the rich diversity of the unique wedding traditions of the peoples of Russia.
Another event celebrating folk traditions will be a floristry master class where participants will create wreaths from fresh daisies. Visitors will learn about the symbolism of the daisy wreath, with daisies representing love, romance and motherhood.
The second day's programme will also include guided tours of the expositions "Journey Across Russia" and "Geography Lessons" at the National Centre RUSSIA. In addition, the National Centre RUSSIA, together with the Istok Cultural Centre, will present a special exposition dedicated to the wedding traditions of three historical social estates of Russia: the nobility, the merchant class and the peasantry. Visitors will experience the atmosphere of Russian weddings of past centuries and discover a variety of historical marriage traditions.
Another highlight will be a gastronomic competition among the newlyweds, in which six young families will compete by preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes. All participating families will receive commemorative prizes.
The festival is organised by the National Centre RUSSIA in partnership with the Government of Moscow and the Moscow Civil Registry Office.
