Kazan celebrates City Day

(KZN.RU, August 31). Kazan celebrated as many as three holidays yesterday: the Day of the City, the Day of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Muslim holiday of Uraza Bairam (Eid al-Fitr).

Celebrations to mark the Day of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Day of the City traditionally began with a ceremonial meeting at Kazan City Hall. Here, the people who made a personal contribution to the prosperity and development of Kazan were awarded.

"Traditionally, we gather in this hall to say thanks to outstanding citizens of Kazan, to those who have glorified our city in various areas - manufacturing, education, science, health care, culture and sports," said Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin in his greeting address.

The title of Honorary Citizen of Kazan was awarded to four of its residents: composer Sofia Gubaidulina, former director of school # 131 Ivan Saveliev, Tatelectromontazh CEO Yuri Soluyanov and Director of the Kazan Physico-Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Kev Salikhov.

A celebratory revue of the peoples of Tatarstan under the motto "Our strength is in our mutual friendship!" was held on the Bulak embankment. Groups and soloists of the National Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan and of the House of Peoples' Friendship presented a spectacular show featuring stirring Caucasian, Chechen, Ingush and mountain dances. Indian and Vietnamese dances were presented in all their glory. The audience also enjoyed the tunes of the peoples of the Volga region as well as German, Belarusian, Korean, Kazakh and Arabic music.

2011 G. Tukai Republic of Tatarstan State Prizes for achievements in arts and culture were awarded by President Minnikhanov. The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov, State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin and Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin.

Normally, the annual prize is awarded only to one winner. However, in the year of the 125th anniversary of Tukai’s birth, it was decided to make an exception and present four state awards. The winners were singer Albina Shagimuratova, poet Lena Shakirzyanova, the artistic duo of Rustem and Maria Kildibekovy and poet and Chairman of the Tatarstan’s Writers' Union Ilfak Ibragimov.

Following the official awards ceremony, a sculptural composition “Shuraleh’s Riddles" was unveiled in the square in front of the Kamal Theater. The sculpture is part of the celebration of G. Tukai’s 125th anniversary; the sculptor is a Tatarstan Honored Art Worker Assia Minnullina.

An all-Russian horse race was held at the international equestrian sports complex "Kazan" on the Day of the Republic. The program included 14 heats for a variety of prizes: Kazan Mile, City of Kazan prize, Day of the Republic prize, President prize, Tatarstan Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry prize, Kazan Race Course prize, among others.

The City of Kazan Prize was at stake in the fifth race. Two-year-old English thoroughbreds ran the distance of 1,400 meters. The winner was Kazan jockey Tagir Metshin riding the bay mare Lemon Love Kid at number 9. His time was 1 min. 28.5 seconds. Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin congratulated the winners.

The FISU (International University Sports Federation) flag - a symbol of the World University Sports Movement - went on a tour of the largest cities of Russia. Presentation of the FISU flag was the highlight of the concert dedicated to the Day of Tatarstan and Kazan. Participants of the presentation of the flag arrived at the scene in a convoy led by the crew of the famous KAMAZ -Master team - the pride of Tatarstan sports.

"I’m bursting with pride for Kazan, Tatarstan and the whole of Russia. We brought a flag whose history spans more than a century. After 40 years this symbol returned to a new Russia, a new Tatarstan. We're not just witnessing this event, we are creating new history with our own hands," shared his emotions Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin.

At 12 midnight, the flag left in a convoy headed by KAMAZ-Master for the first point on its route - the city of Izhevsk. Together with the convoy, on the night of September 1, a special train (4 cars and a locomotive) will leave Kazan. Some 70 people - students, leaders of youth organizations, volunteers and performers – will be on the train. The flag will be seen in 13 cities of the Volga Federal District, as well as in Moscow,
St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg.

"At the end of the journey, the flag will arrive in St. Petersburg and Moscow. We’ll present the flag to the Student Union in the capital of our country. This is an important event for us because we want student sports to set the tone for a healthy lifestyle. We want the Kazan Universiade to become a holiday for students, sports, love, unity and strength of the entire population of Russia,” concluded Ilsur Metshin.