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“Children Sholokhov Spring” Marked Its 15th Anniversary

This year, “Children Sholokhov Spring” held on 26 of May, opened the All-Russian literary folklore holiday for the 15th time. Within the past years, various talents of boys and girls from different parts of our country and abroad, their vigorous energy and enthusiasm won the hearts of the spectators and discovered new names.

For the first time the children’s folklore holiday called then “Vyoshenskiye Vesnushki” took place in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya in 2002. In 2014, it changed its name and extended its borders. In Vyoshenskaya the children attend workshops, but the central holiday area moved to Stanitsa Karghinskaya, where M.A.Sholokhov spent his childhood and youth, and began his literary work. Now “Children Sholokhov Spring” enables young admirers of Sholokhov’s work to perform in the concert, attend the exhibitions of the Memorial Historical Complex, to see the classroom and desk of Misha Sholokhov, the exhibition “My School Path…”, the cinematograph “Ideal”, where the would-be writer performed as an actor and the author of the plays, and to see the school, which was built for the money of the Lenin Prize that Sholokhov was awarded for his novel “Virgin Soil Upturned”.

This year “Children Sholokhov Spring” was dedicated to the Year of Ecology in Russia. For the whole of his life M.A.Sholokhov was faithful to his native land, selflessly loved the Don wildlife and was careful abou the world surrounding us.

The holiday program for children began in the morning in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, where in the People’s House the workers of the Rostov Museum of Local Studies showed an interactive exhibition “The Don Country Environment: from the Past to the Future” and held museum classes. The children learned about the Don fish reserve founded in the delta of the River Don in 1819, by the order of the Government Senate. The reserve was guarded by the Cossacks of the Don stanitsas and villages.

In those years fish was the only source of well-being for the residents of the Voisko Donskoye (the Don Army) Region, and our forefathers took a great care of the fish sources. But in the 20–30s of the XX century the nature protection was greatly weakened, and most of fish, beasts and birds were exterminated. Today, many of the species are taken down in the Red List of Threatened Species of Russia.

The young visitors were involved in the interesting narration about the animals inhabiting the Rostov Region area, they watched a video about fish, birds and animals from the collection of the Rostov Museum of Local Studies. Then the children took part in the interactive game “Recognize Birds and Animals by Their Voices”, and showed good knowledge of the native country fauna.

The children shared their impressions: “It was very interesting. A bird toadstool was especially surprising. I have learned that it feeds on fish and its meat is inedible. That is why Cossacks gave it a bad name. (Misha Yegorov, kindergarten “Romashka”); “I like very much a stuffed least weasel, a bobak and a swan. I have learned that an osprey is a bird, which can’t swim, but it catches fish on the fly: it immerses its claws in the water, catches a fish and with its strong wings lifts it into the air.” (DashaVasilitsa, 2 form of Vyoshenskaya secondary school).

By 15.00 o’clock, the numerous holiday makers and spectators gathered in Stanitsa Karghinskaya. The holiday was opened by A.A.Rezvanov, Minister of Culture of the Rostov Region, Y.A.Pyatikov, Head of the Bokovsky District Administration, and O.A.Anistratenko, Director of the Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov. They greeted the public and wished to the children every success and desire to study the work of the great writer and the history of the native country.

In the literary area “We are Reading Sholokhov”, the admirers of the writer’s talent heard the fragments of Sholokhov’s works performed by the children – winners of the contest “Our Sholokhov” in the nomination “Artistic Reading”. The public laughed, sympathized or resented together with the personages.

On that day, the central square turned into a big workshop, where everyone could make an original souvenir himself. In several minutes there appeared a beautiful tulip on the fragrant film, bright animals of coloured wire, butterflies of ribbon and organza, fish of clay and birds of bast. The children made various figures and things of different materials.

In the master-class “Rainbow Rastel” the students of the Rostov M.Grekov Art School taught the children to draw and paint, showed how to make landscape elements, and shared their secrets of pastel work.

There were two exhibitions shown during the holiday. One of them was “The World of Sholokhov through Children’s Eyes” which showed children’s drawings and handicraft articles displaying their perception of Sholokhov’s works. The photo exhibition “M.A.Sholokhov: “I Can’t Live without Nature…” showed the

visitors well-known and rare pictures telling about the writer at fishing and hunting, his favourite vacation spots and natural sights of Sholokhov country.

Another, a special exhibition was “Pets’ Corner”, where the Rostov Zoo workers told about the fauna of the Don area. They brought to Stanitsa Karghinskaya animals and birds inhabiting the Rostov Region and told about each of the living exhibits, held a quiz and awarded the best in zoology. The children crowded to the cages, watched and admired the animals and commented their behavior.

“Ecological Marathon”, an entertaining game-twister, enabled the children to show their knowledge of steppe herbs and flowers.

The holiday public was entertained with the concert performed by children groups from the Rostov Region, Moscow, Volgograd, in all – over 500 young performers. Among them there was the Moscow guslar ensemble “Kudesy” from the children school of arts named after M.Balakirev, the ensemble of folk instruments “Vdokhnoveniye” (Inspiration) from the Tatsynsky District, the folk ensemble of sports ballroom dance “Yuventa” and a vocal studio of pop song “Larisa” from Novocherkassk and the folklore song and dance ensemble “Stanichniki” from Vyoshenskaya, and many others.

The “Children Sholokhov Spring” again embraced the young admirers of the work of M.A.Sholokhov, talented children, who know and love the people’s art. The holiday has made a good tradition. Taking part in the holiday the children can show their creative achievements, communicate with their new friends from different parts of Russia, to see and learn many new and interesting things.

Tatyana Shevtsova
Olga Karghina
Svetlana Usova