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From Heart to Heart Festival is coming to Berlin from September 21 to 24, 2017


The Russian House in Berlin will open its doors to From Heart to Heart Festival for the second time, on September 21-24, 2017!

This cultural project is organized by St. Elisabeth Convent (Minsk, Belarus) and is held annually in different cities all over Europe. The purpose of the Festival is to show the beauty and richness of the Orthodox faith and culture and to strengthen international relations.

As a rule, the program of the Festival is scheduled for 4 days and includes cultural events and a fair with various goods created by the workshops of St. Elisabeth Convent, such as icons, church goods, vestments, spiritual and children’s literature, traditional Orthodox clothing, handmade ceramics, glass gifts and many other souvenirs.

All cultural events of the Festival are free and usually include a concert of the monastic choir, a photo exhibition and a presentation devoted to Grand Princess Elisabeth, The Belarusian Hut exposition, and workshop sessions held by the artisans from our workshops. However, the program of the Festival will be a bit different this year. In addition to all these events, visitors will see The Little Prince – a play performed by Joy Inclusive Theater – as well as a show of traditional Belarusian costumes.

During the workshop sessions, the visitors will be able to learn about the techniques of icon painting with tempera paints or powdered stones. They will learn to paint on wooden souvenirs and make various items from straw.

A concert of the Monastic Choir of St Elisabeth Convent will provide an insight into the singing traditions of the Russian Church. These traditions are characterized by the unity of prayer, life, and worship. The concert of the Monastic Choir will take place on the opening day (September 21).

We pay special attention to children at our Festival. There will be a designated play and entertainment area for them. Young visitors will have the chance to watch plays staged by Batleika Folk Puppet Theater and animation films produced by the Studio in honor of St John the Warrior. They will definitely enjoy The Belarusian Hut Exposition and straw-plaiting workshop sessions. All children are welcome to participate in the creation of a piece of artwork to keep and remember.

This year, in addition to the usual display of a traditional Belarusian household at the Belarusian Hut Exposition, the visitors will get the chance to become familiar with Belarusian folk traditions in clothing and entertainment. Our sisters will show folk costumes belonging to different ages as an introduction into the history of Belarusian national costume and its relation to the traditional Orthodox dress worn by monastics.

The special theater play The Little Prince will be staged in Cottbus on September 22 and then in the Russian House in Berlin on September 23. This play is performed by Joy Inclusive Theater, which for the most part consists of the residents of boarding homes for mentally and physically challenged children and adults. The director of this theater is Alexander Zhdanovich, a well-known TV host and a professional actor. The Little Prince play is not just a new version of a known book made with the effort of mentally challenged children. It is a chance to look at the world from a new angle. The sincere and inspiring performance of these people is indeed fascinating. Children who will never grow up invite you to their theater and look forward to showing you their most important show.

There will be a small introductory performance by Inclusive Theater Group Phoenix, a local inclusive theater collective from Cottbus, before the one-hour play.

A phyto-café where all participants can taste fresh pastry and tea made by the sisters of the Convent will be open during the entire Festival.

From Heart To Heart Festival was launched in 2016. During these three years, the events of the Festival have already attracted over 10,000 visitors. The Festival has already been held in Vienna, Berlin, London and Dublin. This year, From Heart To Heart Festival will be held in Berlin (September 21 – 24) and Belgrade (October 22 – 29).

We do our best to prepare a very intensive spiritual and educational program because we want to provide as much information as possible about the social outreach of our Convent, its daily life and celebrations. We want our project to bring people who belong to different generations and various cultures closer together. We share our love with our visitors. Sharing love from heart to heart is the reason why we are so happy to be a part of this project. It gives us hope when we look into the future.


We invite you to visit From Heart To Heart Festival and spend time in a friendly family atmosphere, to enjoy the singing of the monastic choir, and to contribute to the deeds of mercy of St Elisabeth Convent!

All proceeds from the event will fund the ministry of St Elisabeth Convent.

Learn more here: http://berlin-festival.usite.pro/






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