SANN News
The opening of the exhibition of the project «Weddings of the Peoples of Russia» took place at the Russian House in Kathmandu, organized by the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office and the Embassy of Russia in Nepal. The exhibition, which includes around a hundred photographs, was presented by the author and photographer Denis Knyazev, General Director of the ANO «International Cultural Dialog», founder of the project «Weddings of the Peoples of the World: Cultural Heritage», and member of the Russian Geographical Society.
The exhibition explores the diversity and deep meaning of wedding rituals and traditions, as well as their role in shaping cultural and national identity. A guided tour of the photo exhibition was conducted at the Russian House, where guests learned about some unique features of Russian weddings in the Zaonezhye and Belgorod regions and were introduced to interesting facts about the wedding traditions of the Besermyans, Mountain Mari, Kalmyks, Nenets, Udmurts, and Erzya. In the lobby, a film from the collection of photographer Denis Knyazev was also shown.
Guests included public and cultural figures from Nepal, diplomats, journalists, Nepali students, and our fellow compatriots. Notably, Jagman Gurung, a historian and lecturer on Nepali culture, a recipient of national awards for contributions to Nepal's culture and history, participated in the opening ceremony. He was also the Pro-Rector of the Nepal Academy until 2022.
The exhibition became part of the ethnographic project by photographer Denis Knyazev titled «Weddings of the Peoples of the World: Cultural Heritage», which aims to preserve unique wedding traditions as monuments of intangible ethnocultural heritage.
As part of the project, expeditions were organized to remote corners of Russia and the world for filming and reconstructing wedding rituals of indigenous ethnic groups. The process of globalization has particularly affected wedding rituals, which are now almost leveled out. The project «Weddings of the Peoples of Russia» will not only draw attention to the significant role of family
in traditional culture but will also make a substantial contribution to strengthening international cooperation, activating cultural exchanges, including through «people's diplomacy», and will help familiarize the Russian and international public with the history, culture, and tourism potential of regions in Russia and other countries.
Several promotional photo albums in the series «Weddings of the Peoples of Russia» have already been published under the auspices of the Russian Federation Commission for UNESCO, intended for museums, libraries, cultural centers, and foreign representations of the country. The Embassy of Russia in Nepal and the Russian House in Kathmandu plan to present the concept of the project «Weddings of the Peoples of the World» to the local Ministry of Culture with the aim of creating a series of multilingual illustrated books titled «Invisible Weddings» under the auspices of the National Commission of Nepal for UNESCO.
