President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin declared 2022 the Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia.
The Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia is held in order to popularize folk art, preserve cultural traditions, historical and cultural monuments, ethnocultural diversity, cultural identity of all peoples and ethnic communities of the Russian Federation.
The International Festival of Handicrafts and Handicrafts “By the Hands of a Woman” and the International Photo Contest “Mother and Children in National Costumes” are included in the Program of the Year of Cultural Heritage under numbers 39 and 119 and approved by the Government of the Russian Federation. The organizer, creator of socially significant projects is the NGO “International Union of Women”.
Russia is a multinational state. More than 190 peoples live in our country, each of which is rich in its unique cultural heritage and traditions.
The universal meaning of the concept of “Cultural heritage” includes
tangible movable and immovable objects are architectural monuments, museum, archival and library collections, works of art, as well as intangible cultural property manifested in the native language, folklore, traditions, holidays and rituals, memorable and historical dates, folk crafts and crafts.
The festival “By the Hands of a Woman” and the Photo Contest “Mother and children in national Costumes” are socially significant projects and set themselves the tasks of preserving, developing, promoting and popularizing traditional crafts and crafts of the peoples of Russia and abroad through women’s skills and creativity among all segments of the population, involving students of specialized schools in the creative process and promoting them.
Modern society is characterized by the growth of national consciousness, the desire to understand and know the history and culture of its people. The preservation and revival of cultural heritage begins with one’s family and plays an important role in shaping a citizen’s worldview, in preserving traditions passed down from generation to generation, as clearly stated in the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on the approval of the Foundations of state Policy for the preservation and strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and Moral values.
The purpose of such socially significant projects – this is an association of people based on the love of creativity and respect for a single socio-cultural space, the development and popularization of all types of handicrafts and crafts of different peoples, the preservation of the best traditions of folk art and folklore, the formation of aesthetic and spiritual taste among visitors and participants of the Festival on the example of the best works presented in the nominations corresponding to the creative direction of the project and emphasizing the ethno-cultural the diversity of Russia (music competitions of singers, competitions of readers in their native language, photo contest of the presentation of the heroes of the national epic, photo contest of national costume, ethno-shows, presentation of handicrafts and crafts, applied art by craftsmen).
The Higher School of Economics conducted an analysis of the market of folk arts and crafts, where it described in detail the problems existing at the moment in the sector of handicrafts and handicrafts. Among the main problems of the industry are the lack of established sales markets, outdated material and technical base and aging of specialists. She also pointed out the huge potential not only in relation to the commodity segments of the Russian market, but also the tourism potential of the NHP industry, through the development of places, the traditional existence of fishing. The HSE report “The Market of Folk Arts and Crafts” also says that most graduates of specialized universities do not work in their specialty due to low salaries.
The socially significant Festival “By the Hands of a woman” gives an opportunity to participate in an industry exhibition, attracting individual masters working at home, women with children, housewives, students, masters with disabilities to the industry, and the presence of a large number of professional masters from different regions of Russia and abroad, provides a unique chance to exchange experience, presentation, realization, popularization and further promotion of handicrafts, careful preservation and transfer of traditions and secrets of folk art to the next generations.
It is proved that thanks to the festivals, the creative potential is revealed, as well as the need for social communication and public evaluation of the work done is satisfied. Participation in the Festival has a positive effect on the state of mind and is a means of improving and developing the personality in the general cultural code. Demonstrating this, the performance of creative teams will give the audience a lot of bright positive emotions and memories, students and young professionals will inspire the creation and implementation of their own collections.
The cultural heritage that continuously passes from generation to generation forms the basis of the culture of the nation, its identity and uniqueness.
People who have made a significant contribution to the culture of Russia and preserve its traditions are a living national treasure. Masters of folk crafts and artisans need to carry this title and their labor-intensive skills, which should be appreciated!
The most important goal is to preserve and pass on to future generations the unique cultural heritage that forms the basis of the culture of the nation, its identity and uniqueness in modern conditions.
Author: Alfiya Amirova
