Ysyakh 2010 on the Neva river bank
The national Yakut festival Ysyakh welcoming the summer season took place on the 13th of June in the picturesque park Olgino near St. Petersburg.
More than 500 people took part in the celebration. Among visitors were representatives of St. Petersburg Administration, members of Yakut Diaspora in St. Petersburg, students and postgraduates from Yakutia, studying in St. Petersburg universities, and also a large delegation from Suntar Ulus.
Program included a folk festival, a concert, koumiss drinking and a sport contest Tygyn Games.
Delegation from Suntur Ulus, student dance group Sacred Ilmen and the Raduga choir took part in a festive concert, which symbolized the unity and friendship of Russian people.
Organizers also arranged a special festive program for children: youngest guests of Ysyakh participated in different competitions and quizzes. They were entertained by artists from Otrada group.
Guests were welcomed by Galina Makarova, Yakut permanent representative in St. Petersburg. She noted that Ysyakh is a state holiday in Sakha (Yakutia). Today this holiday appears to be a unity symbol of Yakut and Russian people. She also sent greetings and best wishes to all guests from former permanent representative of Yakutia Matvej Muchin.
In respect of national traditions all the guests tied special multicolored ribbons and made wishes before the beginning of celebration. The celebration continued with a grand national ceremony algys.
Besides festive actions different sport competitions such as Tygyn Games, contests of native costumes and cuisine took place in Olgino on that day. And of course every Ysyakh day should include folk dance osuohaya, when in a common impulse people dance in a circle!
Performance of various bands from Suntar Ulus became a real festive decoration: in their music one could hear beautiful and moving melody of the ancient land Olonkho.
As usual Tygyn
Games were the most interesting part of the day. The sport program included:
national wrestling called hapsagay, mass wrestling, jumps. Absolute winners of
competitions were rewarded with medals, cups, valuable prizes and traditional
"муhэ".
A student of the State Polar Academy Nikolay Egorov was the winner of the first
prize in hapsagay wrestling. The gold medal in mass-wrestling for juniors was
given to Nikolay Svinoboev - a student of the St. Petersburg State Technical
Marine University.
This festival gave a chance to Yakut people living today in St.Petersburg to plunge into homeland atmosphere, and to St.Peterburg citizens - to better understand histrory, culture and traditions of Yakutia.
This wonderful event was visited by different journalists and representatives of TV channels RTR and 5th Channel were filming it.