Application period closes for the III All-Russian Wedding Festival at the National Centre RUSSIA
The application period for participation in the III All-Russian Wedding Festival "Russia. Uniting Hearts" has ended. The large-scale celebration of love and fidelity at the National Centre RUSSIA will bring together more than 100 couples representing dozens of regions across the country, as well as international and foreign couples. On 8 July, they will become the main heroes of a ceremonial mass wedding, and on 9 July they will take part in a themed educational programme, which anyone will be able to join after registering on the National Centre RUSSIA website.
In the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, announced by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the festival will become a vivid symbol of how the peoples of the country unite around universal and equally important values: love, family and the continuity of generations.
Among the couples who will marry at the wedding festival are Vasily Shadrin and Alexandra Minayeva from Magadan. Alexandra has Koryak and Even roots, grew up in a large family of nomadic reindeer herders and has dedicated her life to preserving traditions. She works as a keeper at the Ola Museum of Local History. Vasily supports his beloved in everything. Both see their wedding at the All-Russian Wedding Festival at the National Centre RUSSIA not only as an unforgettable celebration, but also as an event with deep meaning.
"Registering our marriage in the capital of our Motherland is a major and important event for us. And in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, it has special significance. We will keep the memory of this celebration in our hearts and will definitely tell our children about it," Vasily and Alexandra shared.
On the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, Svyatoslav Khoryakov and Darya Bobrysheva, a couple in love from Donbass, will marry at the festival: "We dream of getting married at the III All-Russian Wedding Festival at the National Centre RUSSIA because, for us, this is an opportunity to show the world that even in difficult times, love and family remain the main values. We want to inspire other young people to believe in a bright future, love and unity. This is a chance to strengthen cultural ties and friendship between regions."
The words of the couple from Donetsk are echoed by the declarations of a couple from the Moscow Region, Maxim Petrov and Darya Blestkina. The young people are eagerly awaiting the celebration.
"We are already mentally preparing for the wedding at the III All-Russian Wedding Festival 'Russia. Uniting Hearts'. We imagine this day and believe in the power of thought, because thoughts are sure to materialise. We want to begin our family story here, in a space where Russian traditions come to life, the voices of generations are heard and destinies intertwine. For us, the All-Russian Wedding Festival is a symbol of continuity, solidarity and a quiet but unshakeable love for the Fatherland. We believe that a strong family is the foundation of Russia," Maxim and Darya admitted.
The Siberian couple Maxim Kuzmenko and Polina Tkachenko prove that even in a harsh region, there is room for love, and that the responsible profession of an investigator does not stand in the way of romance.
"For us, family is first and foremost a source of love, joy and happiness, where respect and care reign between partners. We want to begin the story of our family at the National Centre RUSSIA because this is a place where the traditions, culture and achievements of all regions of the country come together. Taking part in the All-Russian Wedding Festival is a symbol that our love is something greater, and that our family is a contribution to the country's future. After all, our love is like Russia: great, strong and endless," Maxim and Polina said.
The colourful Caucasus will be represented at the festival by Tembolat Malkarov and Milana Taova. The couple belong to the two titular peoples of Kabardino-Balkaria: the groom is Balkar, and the bride is Kabardian. Despite their different ethnic roots, they are united by a shared understanding of family as a place where traditions are honoured, elders are respected and children are raised in an atmosphere of warmth and care.
Family, love and fidelity are universal values that unite peoples around the world, which is why international couples will also join the celebration. They include Russian citizen Alina Kalita and Kazakhstan citizen Bogdan Petruk. The couple note that the family traditions of their countries are very similar.
"We grew up in different countries, but our views on life are remarkably similar. In our understanding, family is a place where secrets are not hidden, where people offer a helping hand to those close to them and love unconditionally. But most importantly, family is a union of two lineages that intertwine into one, even stronger, in order to preserve family values and continue traditions," Alina and Bogdan shared.
The culmination of the festival will be the passing of the flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth "Heart of Russia". The new families will receive a particle of the flame from Murom, the city where Saints Peter and Fevronia, the patron saints of marriage, lived, from couples who married at previous festivals. On the second day, educational lectures, as well as a gastronomic and musical programme, have been prepared for the newlyweds, their guests and everyone interested in wedding themes.
The festival will conclude with the grand performance "Khorovod. Wedding", in which everyone will be able to take part alongside the newlyweds. The circle dance, where there are no leading or secondary participants, will emphasise the unity and openness of the peoples of the country.
This year, the geography of the festival has expanded: alongside Moscow, festive wedding ceremonies will be held at the branches of the National Centre RUSSIA in the Primorye Territory and the Krasnoyarsk Territory, as well as in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra.
The III All-Russian Wedding Festival has been organised by the National Centre RUSSIA together with the Moscow Government and the Moscow Civil Registry Office. In the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, announced by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, the main theme of the festival is "United in Love".
