The beginning of the formation of the Russian state is officially considered to be 862, when the Varangian prince Rurik and his brothers were called to Russia, from them the princely dynasty began, ruling for almost seven and a half centuries. Thus, 2012 became a jubilee - this year marks the 1150th anniversary of Russian statehood. One of the most notable festive events is the parade of old ships in Veliky Novgorod.
The parade of old ships will be held from 21 to 23 September 2012, it will be a whole range of events. All of them will be held against the backdrop of the best scenery - the ancient Novgorod Kremlin, one of the first Orthodox churches in Russia - the Church of St. Sophia, Novgorod medieval bargaining and other old buildings.
Theatrical performances, festivals of folk art and crafts of medieval culture, a festival of brass bands ("Festival of the Five Kremlins"), performances by artists and much more are planned. Exhibitions of handicrafts will be open.
On September 21, as part of the celebration, the IV International Festival of Historical Reconstruction "Mr. Veliky Novgorod" will open on Sofiyskaya Embankment. It will decorate the celebration with a colorful procession of participants in historical costumes in the city center, a large-scale battle, horse and foot tours, buhurts, archery competitions, costume contests, a fire show and a concert of medieval music.
The largest number of tourists will be attracted by the international parade of old ships, held these days in the Volkhov River basin. The parade is called "From the Varangians to the Greeks", all the ships presented on it are real, reconstructed and restored by specialists from Russia and other countries.
Historical ships from Russian cities will participate in the parade: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Belozersk, Petrozavodsk, Smolensk, Vyborg, as well as from Estonia (Tartu), Lithuania (Klaipeda), Latvia (Riga), Sweden (Sigguna), Finland (Turku) and Ukraine (Kiev). In addition, the "Union of Coggs" from Germany, which unites five cities, will provide its ships. Here you can see a Slavic boat, a drakkar, a ushkui, a pomor boat, a kogg and many other types of small historical vessels.
Guests of the city and Novgorodians will be able to feel like participants in the events, touch the history and realize how diverse, great and significant our history is.
