We speak the same in all languages

One of the most spectacular and symbolic events within the framework of the XIII EEYF is the Around the World festival. Today at the Ekaterinburg-EXPO, about 5,000 guests and participants of the forum plunged into the bright, sonorous, hospitable atmosphere of national cultures.

Several dozen nationalities have located their farmsteads on the second floor of the MTS Live Hall. Dagestanis, Indians, Poles, Tajiks, Udmurts, Chuvashes, Tatars, Ossetians, and representatives of other nations greeted the guests with music and songs. They presented unique handicrafts, ancient household items, musical instruments, hunting bows, books.  The groups of interested participants gathered at each farmstead. The photo zone in the form of a yurt generated lots of buzzes. The hosts of farmsteads were smiling at the camera: in luxurious national costumes, they acted as guides to the world of folktales that everyone had listened to in childhood.

Patterns on clothes, jewelry, handicrafts served not only as decorations. It was believed that they protected the owner of the thing from evil. A vivid example is the dolls of the people of Mari El. Lyudmila Salkieva, a craftswoman from the village of Malye Karzi, Artinsky municipal district, Sverdlovsk region, learned to knit, sew and make amulet dolls from her mother.

“I sew national outfits for creative teams, and one of my costumes was presented at the anniversary of Vyacheslav Zaitsev. We have a love for folk art: it runs in the family. My son and son-in-law are jewelers, the husband is fond of woodcarving, all eight grandchildren adopt our art: they embroid, bead weave, draw,” Lyudmila Salkieva said.

Touching the culture of peoples brings people together - this was noted by many guests of the festival.

“Particular attention was drawn to the exhibition of samovars and teapots—from the largest exhibit to a tiny tea set. I immediately imagined how delicious it is to drink tea from any of them. And what friendly, cheerful, beautiful representatives of different nationalities are! Friendly girls in national costumes not only agreed to pose for a photo but also let me try on a headdress and hold a real dombra in my hands,” the editor-in-chief of Yamal-Media (Salekhard, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), Natalya Gorbunova, sincerely admires.

 “As a representative of the extreme Russian West, I was impressed by the powerful international representation, the large number of foreign states that responded to the invitation to visit the forum. Indeed, we are not alone, and this is very important,” Oksana Obrekht, editor-in-chief of the Volna newspaper (Zelenogradsk, Kaliningrad region), said.

“Such a variety of peoples, beautiful costumes, musical instruments! It is nice that the EEYF participants appreciated all this at its true worth: they took a lot of pictures, asked questions. Today, it seems to me, it is especially important to establish friendly ties like this,” Anton Krysanov, associate professor at the USUE Department of Constitutional and International Law, shared his impression.

The Urals is one of the most multinational regions of Russia: about 160 nations peacefully coexist here. Each has its own special history and rich culture. Several public organizations are engaged in its preservation, in particular the Sverdlovsk branch of the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia, which was headed in 2023 by USUE Rector Yakov Silin.