The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Yakutia to the President of Russia and the Administration of the Aldan District of Yakutia with the support of the Government of St. Petersburg, the St. Petersburg House of Nationalities, the Public Council under the Permanent Mission, Yakut community and Yakut students.
The holiday was dedicated to the Year of the Theater in Russia, the Year of consolidation in Yakutia and the Year of environmental well-being in the Aldan region of Yakutia.
As the chairman of the Committee on External Relations of St. Petersburg Yevgeny Grigoryev noted in his welcoming speech to the organizers and participants of the celebration, “This day, marking the onset of the blessed northern summer, has incorporated a very deep symbolism of centuries-old traditions and conveys it in the numerous ceremonies presented at the holiday”.
So, the guests of the festival were able to see the traditional Yakut rite “algys”, which means a request to the deities of Aiyy to send peace, goodness and prosperity to all people. The ceremony ends with sprinkling the earth with koumiss - a traditional drink made from mare's milk, symbolizing white grace - ilge.
After the ceremonial part of the holiday, officials addressed the guests and participants of the event: the head of the Aldan region of Yakutia Severin Pozdnyakov and the Deputy Permanent Representative of Yakutia to the President of Russia Yuri Kravtsov.
A festive concert prepared by artists and ensembles of the Aldan region was presented to the guests. The concert fully showed the beauty and originality of the culture of the peoples of Yakutia.
For reference: The multinational Aldan region is the flagship of the industrial development of Yakutia. The district has excellent achievements in culture, sports, and education. Today, the Aldan region is a vivid example of the friendship of peoples and the preservation of the culture of small peoples of the North.
The concert was also decorated with performances by invited artists: folklore ensembles from the Megino-Kangalassky and Namsky uluses of Yakutia, the Aldan balalaika ensemble “BalAns”, Buryat and Udmurt art groups. In addition, the Aldanians prepared an exhibition of applied Evenki art, workshops on flanking a Cossack sword and games for children. The audience was also introduced to the presentation of the new extreme project “Conquerors of the Cold”.
An integral attribute of Ysyakh are also sports competitions. On the right-hand drive, athletes competed in mas-wrestling, hapsagai wrestling and Yakut jumps. Champions were awarded cups, medals, Yakut knives and, according to tradition, boiled beef drumsticks - muse.
The holiday ended with the Yakut ritual dance osuohai, symbolizing the universal unity of people and the cycle of life.
According to the estimates of the organizers, this year the holiday was visited by more than a thousand people.