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GENERAL INFORMATION ON WOODEN ARCHITECTURE AND NATIONAL CRAFTS OF THE LENINGRAD REGION

Monuments of old Russian architecture are valuable samples of Russian culture of the 18th and 19th centuries. Structures kept in the Leningrad region are: the Church of Christmas of the Virgin in the village of Gimreka, the Nikolskaya church in Domozhirovo, the Georgievskaja church in Osmino, the Church of the Resurrection in the village of Kurpovo, and the apartment houses in villages Lampovo, Vazhiny, Uksovichi, Sheleyki, and Gimreka.

The secrets and skills of traditional crafts and the crafts found locally within the territory of the Leningrad Region, are not lost today. In the Kirishskom area, as was the custom centuries ago, the whole villages plait a traditional lace of a gentle, dazzling white, plentifully decorated with flowers. The fantastic beauty of the flower patterns created by skilled workers of the Volkhov area appear on tree trays, Easter eggs, and cutting boards. Willow rods are popular in the Tikhvin, Lodeinopole, Boksitogorsk, and Podporozhsk areas. Masters from the village of Alehovshchiny on the river Oyati is famous for its Oyatskaya ceramics, known far outside of Russia.

The remarkable master of woodcarving, Sergei Popovich of Kudrinskoy lives and creates in Boksitogorsk. From a linden tree, he cuts ladles -- saltcellars, trays, furniture, birds decorated with images, animals, and plant ornaments. He has created figures of men, farmers, and whole sculptural compositions, which appear grotesque, though full of good humor.

The "Tree of life"

Every comer of the Earth has its own natural landscapes that give it its unique appearance, whether it be deserts, forests, steppes, expanses of water mountain ranges. Along with this, a bright addition to a picturesque region is provided by the national characteristics of its inhabitants.

The Leningrad Region, rich in magnificent natural attractions, is home to representatives of several dozen races and nationalities. In addition to Russians, natives of North-West Russia living in the Region include Finno-Ugric peoples, among them Vepsi, Izhora and Finno-Ingermanlanders.

The historical territory of the Vepsi is around the Svir river; in the past it encompassed the "Mezhozerye", the area between the three great northern lakes - Ladoga, Onega and the White Lake. Nowadays the Vepsi are confined mainly in the east and north-east of the region, as well as in the districts that border Karelia and the Leningrad and Vologda Regions. There are almost 4,500 representatives of this group in the Leningrad Region.

Many aspects of Russian culture have been absorbed by the other native people of the Neva Region, the Izhora. Like the Vepsi, they are mentioned in the very first Old Russian chronicles. The Izhora call themselves Karelian, and that is the language they speak.

The march of civilisation is inexorable: as well as bringing things that make our lives easier, including social contacts, it also suppresses many of the special characteristics of groups of people - rural or urban dwellers, different peoples and national groups. In order to retain what is unique and not allow us to forget our roots, old crafts are being revived and preserved in the Leningrad Region and centres of national culture are opening. The focal points for Vepsi folk artists are the Vepsi Cultural Centre in the Vinnitsky House of Culture in Podporozhye District, the National Cultural Centre in the Lodeynoe Polye District and cultural associations in other places where the Vepsi population is concentrated. These centres are reviving the Vepsi's traditional crafts: weaving, birch-bark wicker-work, vine-weaving, embroidery and patchwork. The "Tree of Life" festival of Vepsi culture has been held every summer for 14 years. There is also a "Cheese Day" festival for two cultures - Slavonic and Vepsi - held in the district of Boksitogorsk.

There is an Izhora folk song and dance group in the Kingisepp District, where around 300 representatives of this ancient people live. Another centre of Izhora culture is being created in the village of Vistino, which features a museum of Izhora life and culture.

Another nationality within the Finno-Ugric group is the Finno-Ingermanlanders. In comparison with the Vepsi and Izhora, the "Inkeri" (as "our" Finns are called) are a relatively young ethnic group, formed in the 17th century by Finnish colonists who settled here after leaving Sweden under the terms of the Stolbovsky Treaty of 1617. There are a fair number of Finnish cultural centres in the Gatchina, Vsevolozhsk and Volosovo districts, which maintain close contacts with social and cultural organisations in Finland. A traditional folk theatre has opened in the village of Otradnoye, putting on shows in Finnish.