In 2013 Russia will celebrate a remarkable date – the 400 th anniversary of the Romanovs House and the revival of the nationhood in Russia. Kostroma will take its rightful place among the largest and the most important cities of Russia, so far as it`s justly considered to be the cradleland of the Romanov dynasty. Mikhail Romanov - the ancestor of the Romanovs – was announced as the Tsar of the Russian realm here against the walls of the Ipatiev Monastery. From this moment the Time of Troubles terminated, Russia developed into the great country and Kostroma soil turned out to be in the centre of the most significant changes in the Russian history, connected to the new tsar dynasty consolidation. And all Russian monarchs and royal family members felt it their duty to visit Kostroma, to reverence its holy places.

Today any person loving its country and caring for its history has an opportunity to become closer to it: he can visit the Ipatiev Monastery, the Boyar Romanovs` Chambers, where the future tsar Mikhail Romanov lived together with his mother conventual Marpha; he can attend museums dedicated to the Romanov ruling line relations with the Kostroma soil; or just for a moment, he can take a dive into the atmosphere of the ancient Russia and feel proud for his country and its history!

Commemorating those events the Romanovs` Festival is held in Kostroma every year at the end of February – the beginning of March. The main goals of this Festival are to make currently central the abundant cultural heritage we have from the Romanovs epoch, to restore the historical succession, to refer to those symbols and lessons of our past that invoked the Russians to unite in front of the emerging problems. For only the solidarity became the salvation and the way out for our ancestry during the Time of Troubles in 1613, when they put the young Mikhail Romanov on the throne country-wide and began to regenerate the country from desolation hand-in-hand.

The Romanovs` Festival has already become the cherished and widespread cultural event. Its manifold and replete program allows us to touch the headwaters of the Russian history. Festival includes a chain of very significant regional, federal and international projects in the sphere of culture, science, education and sport.

Among them are:

• Children Creativity Competition & Festival «Star of Bethlehem», making children and young people feel closer to the national cultural heritage and Eastern Christianity traditions, forms their recognition of ethic and spiritual values in the present-day world;
• “Susanin-Trophy-Winter” - extreme off-the-road racing for the all-wheel drive vehicle owners and outdoor activity fans;

     

• “The Northern Trust” - international staging sled dog race where the owners of the Siberian Huskies compete in speed and skills of the sled control;

     

• Youth Educative Forum “Patriot” that includes different thematic programs giving an opportunity to get a lot of knowledge and skills in the spheres of the young people interests – from the ABC of their own business organization and up to the government institutions management;

     

• Within a framework of the Literary week research & practice and cultural & educational conferences are held; creative seminars, roundtable discussions, lectures and presentations of the periodic press publications are under way;
• Theatricalized performance “The historical day” taking place on the territory of the Blessed Trinity Ipatiev Monastery actualizes in all the historical developments of the year 1613, namely – summoning of the young Mikhail Romanov to hold the scrptre;

     

• Sacred procession in honor of the Feast of the wonderworking Icon of Our Lady of St.Theodore;
• Jewelry exhibition from the collection of the Carl Faberge Museum (Baden-Baden, Germany) presents the artworks of the world-known jeweller to all esteemers of the high art;

     

• Governor`s charitable ball – full-dress party creating the atmosphere of the balls in XVII-XIX centuries;
• Romanov`s reading – thematic conferences for the historians, regional ethnographers, cultural specialists of the Kostroma region organizing to discuss actual themes of the connection between the Romanov dynasty and Kostroma Governorate, the role of the Romanovs in the history of Russia.

There are also a lot of different thematic exhibitions and other arrangements in the museums of the Kostroma region within the framework the Romanov`s festival. It ends with the folk festival and celebratory firework.

Every time except the regular annual ceremonies the administration of the Kostroma region gives a surprise to the townspeople and to the guests of Kostroma. For example in 2011 there was a unique exhibition called “The Watercolours of the great princess Olga Alexandrovna” (the younger daughter of the emperor Alexander III and the empress Maria Fedorovna) introduced at the Kostroma memorial estate. More then 100 works of art created within the duration of the originative period the artist have been presented there.

Taking part in the Romanov`s Festival gives a touch to the history, helps to feel as a participator of the events took place 400 years ago and presents a great chance just to enjoy everything going around.