International Children’s Day: Festive Events at the St Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty

1 June 2025 – Almaty. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, a festive celebration dedicated to International Children’s Day was held on the grounds of the St Nicholas Cathedral.

The event was also timed to coincide with the Day of Slavic Writing and Culture, the 225th anniversary of the birth of A.S. Pushkin, and the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

A concert was held in the parish assembly hall, prepared by the staff and pupils of the Central Sunday School under the direction of G.V. Cherepanova. The young performers recited poems about childhood and the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The school choir presented the musical pieces Round Song, Work a Miracle, and The Orange Song. The audience also enjoyed a performance of The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish based on the famous work by A.S. Pushkin, and a vocal-choreographic composition entitled The War Ended on Pascha.

The celebration continued outdoors, where children enjoyed master classes in Church Slavonic and handicrafts, as well as themed activities such as Alley of Tales and Fairy Meadow. Actors from the Natalia Sats City Youth and Children’s Theatre and professional entertainers engaged with the children. Pupils of the Central Sunday School organised and led a flash mob entitled Dance With Us for the guests.

Children also participated in competitions such as Sidewalk Chalk Drawing and Wish Fulfilment, and played traditional games such as skittles.

The event was organised by the General Consulate of the Russian Federation in Almaty, the Department of Culture of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District, and the Central Sunday School at the St Nicholas Cathedral in Almaty.

Among the guests were: the wife of the Russian Consul General, A.V. Turaeva; head of the Metropolitan District’s Department of Culture, L.E. Goricheva; director of the Central Sunday School, G.V. Cherepanova; leaders and members of the Russian Compatriots’ Organisation of Southern Kazakhstan – V. Lukashev, N. Belik, L. Kotelnikova, and K. Voloshchuk; teachers and pupils of Sunday schools from Almaty and the surrounding region; and families of parishioners from local churches.