A scooter, a ram, and household appliances: gifts for Sabantuy have been collected in Kazan

55 restaurateurs, hoteliers, and other members of the tourist industry contributed to the prize fund.

(KZN.RU, June 21, Alina Berezhnaya). Today, a festive procession was held in Kazan to collect gifts for the national Tatar holiday Sabantuy. Horse-drawn carts with artists and musicians went through the central streets of Kazan and finished in the Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda. 55 large enterprises of the city connected with the hospitality industry took part in the ancient ceremony. All collected gifts will be awarded to the winners of competitions in Sabantuy.

The festive procession started from the Kazan hotel “Korston”. The ceremony was held according to the old village traditions. Two horsemen were at the head of the column carrying a flagpole with a Sabantuy banner, a towel. They were followed by 4 horse-drawn carts decorated with bright ribbons with artists and musicians.

A column with accordion and songs passed through the central streets of Kazan: Karl Marks, Pushkin, Tatarstan. Near the square in front of the Kamal Theater, the artists played an excerpt from the play “Blue Shawl” by Karim Tinchurin.

“Sabantuy has old traditions that need to be revived. One of them is the collection of gifts; it is a wonderful, bright ceremony. Let the Sabantuy also be fun”, said Sergey Ivanov, the chairman of the State Tourism Committee of the RT. He handed pillows to the performers that will also be one of the gifts for the winners of competitions in Sabantuy.

“We are continuing the traditions of our people in rural areas and settlements. This ritual of collecting gifts unites all residents of the city. In our multinational Tatarstan, we want to revive this holiday”, said Zufar Gayazov, the chairman of the Board of the Association of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of the RT.

After the theatrical performance, the column marched through the Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda and finished at the Mardzhani Mosque. Kazan’s musical and choreographic collectives performed for the audience, and a ceremony of handing gifts from the hospitality industry enterprises took place. Thus, 55 restaurateurs, hoteliers, and other representatives of the tourist industry contributed to the prize fund. For a couple of hours, horse-drawn carts were filled with a variety of gifts, including bed linen, towels, household appliances, kitchen utensils, a scooter, and even a ram. These gifts will be presented to the winners of competitions in the Sabantuy.

The old tradition of collecting gifts gained interest among both residents and city guests. “I have been living in Kazan for two years now. I was at Sabantuy, but I did not know anything about such a rite. It is a very happy holiday with songs, national costumes, which reflects the whole essence of the Tatar people, cheerful, hospitable and generous”, Zhigang Zen, a KFU student from China, shared his impressions.