First organized in 1998, the current 12th Day of All Cultures has become a significant event for young people in the UAE. There are no analogues to this festival, and most likely will not be. This is because only in one place did students from different countries come together with such large-scale cultural differences that could be seen in two days on the main square of the university in Sharjah. The event, which became a landmark for the whole city, was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Cassimi, ruler of the emirate of Sharjah.
The aim of this festival was to cover every cultural club participating in the traditions of their country, customs and historical ways of life. It is noteworthy that of the 70 clubs organized by students at the University of Sharjah, only the "cultural clubs" of each country, and this year there were about 25, could take part in the "Day of All Cultures."
Each club received a certain pavilion to represent their country. Mandatory attributes of the holiday were souvenirs from each country, national cuisine and music, as well as concert numbers and shows of national costumes.
The current “Day of All Cultures” began with the opening ceremony of the festival by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Cassimi, Crown Prince of Sharjah, as well as the rector of the university, Mr. Peter Hiss. By tradition, His Highness and all officials visited each pavilion of the participating cultural clubs.
It is gratifying that His Highness and invited officials highly praised the pavilion of the Russian Cultural Club, which presented our country as an exact copy of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. Club Vice-President Damir Zagidullin told distinguished guests about the goal of creating the club and the importance of highlighting the culture of Russia as one of the most multinational and multifaceted in the world.
The guys decorated the inside of the stand with large posters, which depicted chimes of the Moscow Kremlin, the Russian state flag and the monument to St. George the Victorious. In addition to posting colorful posters, the children highlighted the 2013 Summer Universiade, which will be held in the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan, telling all the guests of the festival in detail about Russia and how it is a sports nation. Russian music played in the pavilion throughout the festival, and numerous photographs and videos about our vast Motherland were broadcast through the projector. The Russian folk dance "Kalinka", which was wonderful performed by the pupils of the Russian Music Center in Sharjah, was greeted by a storm of applause from the festival guests.
The show of national costumes, in which activists of the club took part, became a real decoration of the festival. If there was no such increased attention to other participating clubs and their costumes, then long lines lined up near our guys who wanted to take pictures and try on national costumes of different peoples of Russia, including Russian, Tatar and even Adyghe. There was no end to those who wished to taste the dishes of Russian folk cuisine. Everyone liked our soups, pancakes, pies with potatoes, barbecue and even berry compotes.
The first festival for the Russian Cultural Club, the Day of All Cultures, undoubtedly, can be considered successful. Now, not only the university community of the UAE, but the whole country knows that on the Persian Gulf there is a diaspora of Russians, which worthily enriched the festival of cultures of different nations with their participation.
The Russian Cultural Club thanks its sponsors for help in holding the festival: the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Kazan Universiade-2013 directorate, the Fantaziya restaurant, the Moskovsky department store, the Basic Interiors interior company, and its general information center sponsor - Russian Emirates magazine.
