How Astana and Almaty will celebrate Unity of Nations

On May 1st, Kazakhstanis celebrate the Holiday of Nations Unity. Almaty and Astana have prepared a great number of venues and concerts to celebrate all the nations living in Kazakhstan. Tengrinews reports.

If you are in Astana on May 1st, make sure to start from an opening ceremony of an ethnic memorial Atameken, a map of Kazakhstan and stay for a concert The Prosperity of Nation is Its Unity. Kazakhstani singers and musicians will perform at Congress Hall at 7:00 p.m.

The center of the celebration will be at the square right in front of Kazakh Eli monument. Artists will perform on three stages simultaneously. Starting from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 700 craftsmen and artists will participate in creating a traditional Kazakh patchwork quilt on the main stage.

“The idea of the show is to recreate the atmosphere of the complex but magical process of creating a Qurak Korpe (a patchwork quilt),” the organizers said.

Leading dance groups of Kazakhstan will present a colorful show. The audience will witness a great variety of different ethnic dances and genres. A Georgian and Turkish chores will also perform during the holiday. German, Indian, Chinese and Kazakhstani singers and musicians will come to celebrate the holiday of unity and peace through their performances.

The venue will have a number of tents from ethnic and cultural centers of the Nations Assembly of Kazakhstan in Astana. The guests will have an opportunity to learn about a great variety of cultures and nations. The Akimat (Municipal authorities) promises around 15 kiosks with various food and drinks. Also, the city's restaurants will present different national cuisines.

This year the city is preparing for over 100 thousand guests to visit Astana for the celebration. The traffic will be limited during the celebrations on May 1st and May 7th, the Defender of the Motherland Day.

A cultural capital of Kazakhstan Almaty has a truly grand show program for the May 1st celebration. The Abai square will turn into an ethnic town with an ethnic exhibition. Each ethnic group will have its own tent where they can present the history, culture and traditions. Guests of the exhibition will have an opportunity to taste national cuisines of various ethnic groups. There is not a single celebration in Kazakhstan that does not involve food. And with over 130 ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan, there surely will be enough food for everyone to try.

In the evening, Almaty folks and guests of the city can enjoy a concert of a Altai State Youth Dance and Music group at the Zhambul Philharmonic concert hall, a ballet A House by the Road written by Vladimir Vasiliev and the Altai a Pearle of Russia concert that features ethnic songs and dance.

Even if you are not in Astana or Almaty on May 1st, take a moment to remember the importance of the Nations Unity Day, because ultimately wherever we are, we all are citizens of the Planet Earth.

The Tengrinews team wishes you happiness and prosperity in days to come.

Writing by Gyuzel Kamalova