The district sports holiday “Snowy Kirillov” was first held in the Kirillo-Belozersky museum-reserve over the last weekend. Its program was changed in comparison with the previous years, but its key moments, such as contests of speed drilling of ice-holes, ice fishing, a heat of winter swimmers and so on, remained the same. One more tradition of this holiday was rather frosty weather.
As usual, the holiday started at 11 o’clock in the morning. S.V. Usov, head of the Kirillov district, S.V. Fomichyov, head of the Department of Local Self-government Development, deputy head of the Department of Internal Policy in the Vologda region, M.N. Sharomazov, director of the Kirillo-Belozersky museum-reserve, and N.N. Dyakov, ex-head of the Kirillov district and one of the holiday initiators, went on stage to congratulate town dwellers and guests of Kirillov and to wish them good spirits.
The holiday continued with the sport and entertaining event titled “Russia, Revive Bogatyrs!” which lasted four hours. It included dramatized elements when people watched fights of medieval knights encased in armour and warriors of the fist-fighting group “Busa” familiar to many people thanks to the “Character of the North” festival. It was not by chance, as this year’s holiday “Snowy Kirilov” took place on February 23 – the Defender of the Fatherland Day. The subject of defenders of the Fatherland - ancient and modern - ran like a golden thread through the whole holiday. The Cossack ensemble “Silver Horseshoe”, the folk song ensemble “Light Chamber”, our guests from Cherepovets – participants of the creative centre “Wind Live” and the folk music and dance ensemble under the direction of Russia’s Honoured Art Worker Y. Tsepelev – performed for people on that day.
Competitions in football, Siberian hockey, arm-wrestling, kettlebell lifting, sprint-cross, and hunting biathlon were held simultaneously with the concert program.
Various playing grounds were open for children and adults during the whole day. Guests could have hot tea with pies and buy souvenirs in the sales points along the walls of the monastery. Besides, they could see snow figures on the subject of the Russian epics and legends made on the eve of the holiday.
Of course, a great number of people gathered on the ice of Lake Siverskoye near the ice-hole prepared especially for winter swimmers. In all, 18 men and 5 women easily plunged into ice-cold water and covered the declared distance giving smiles to those who stood nearby, having bundled up in fur coats, hats and scarves. It is impressive no matter how many times you have seen it! Many people agreed with this statement.
The National Park “Russian North”, the Kennel Club “Sirius” (Vologda) and “Royal Canin” organized a dog show for the second year running. Some of the dogs had participated in the last year’s event, but took part in it again with pleasure. Various breeds of dogs were presented there: Husky, German shepherd, Alaskan Malamute, Russian hunting sighthound, Dalmatian, Golden Retriever, Yorkshire terrier, Toy Terrier and many others.
The holiday was concluded with the evening event which people really liked judging by the flow of guests. They watched a film “Diary of the Holiday “Snowy Kirillov” projected on the covered with snow wooden pavilion made to protect the Church of the Deposition of the Virgin’s Robe. And then the folk music and dance ensemble under the direction of Russia’s Honoured Art Worker Y. Tsepelev and the vocal ensemble “White Lake” performed for the guests on the main stage. The fire show of the Theatre of Fire “Grace” was the final event of the holiday “Snowy Kirillov 2013”.
