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