Employees of Museum of Dionisy’s Frescoes – “masters of wonderful illusions”

June 4, 2016

A large event was held near the walls of the Ferapontov Monastery on this day.

A theatricalized opening ceremony of the festival took place on the scene located on the picturesque shore of Lake Borodaevskoye: young boys and girls dressed in the costumes of the previous century were gracefully waltzing; masters-of-ceremonies were reciting poetry …

All guests of the festival returned to the past and got to the unusual atmosphere of the old village of 1916.

During the event, they enjoyed wonderful music, listened to Russian folk and author’s songs, gusli and button accordion compositions, danced, bought tickets of the village prizes-for-all lottery and got useful gifts and souvenirs.

Children and adults took an active part in peasant amusements and games: walked on stilts, ran a race holding shoulder-yokes, threw pretzel-shaped articles to the oven forks, caught fish and participated in the tug-of-war contest.

Having played games and walked in the open air, the guests had tea with pies and sweets in the summer tea house.

Amateur artists from Kirillov and Belozersk performed in the concert.  The audience greeted all of them with cheers. They gave an especially warm welcome to wonderful local musicians Elena Vyazigina and Gennady Golubev and guests from Belozersk: narrator of folk tales Maremyana, Alexey Alexandrov, one of the ten best button accordion players of Russia; and the children’s dancing group “Caprice”.

Results of the anniversary auction and the contest for the best historical costume were summed up during the festive program. The Shebunins from Kirillov were dressed in the best stylized costumes of the early 20th century.

Everybody who wanted could acquire some pottery skills in the master-class delivered by the potter Sergey Fenveshi.

The youngest guests of the festival joined in the Ferapontovo plein air and created their masterpieces on the easels that everybody could see in a special display.

“Illusions of Old Village” gave an excellent opportunity for people to see the exhibitions of the Museum of Dionisy’s Frescoes, to make a tour of the old village, to have their pictures taken in the stylized photo salon of the 20th century. Besides, a new exhibition from the series “Faces of the Village” was presented on this day. It was titled “This Unforgettable Moment”: visitors could see rare and unique wedding pictures of local residents.

The wonderful summer festival “Illusions of Old Village” in Ferapontovo surely gave unforgettable experience to its guests.