"Peter’s Day"

Historic gala concert "Peter's Day"

on the Day of Russia In Kolomenskoye

Moscow State United Museum-Reserve invites everyone on the 12th of June 2010 to a platform at the palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye on a holiday “Peter’s Day”.

This holiday is timed to celebrate the birthday of Peter the I – the 30th of May, one of the most important secular holidays of the XVIII century. For many years the name of Peter the Great was closely associated with Kolomenskoye – a favorite summer residence of the father of Peter the I.

Tradition of the XVIII century calls Kolomenskoye the birthplace of Peter - "Russian Bethlehem". He spent his childhood there, learning, according to legend, literacy in an oak grove near the palace. Here, along with the Preobrazhensky, Peter created the "burlesque troops”, built his first ships. From Kolomenskoye Russian troops marched triumphantly to Moscow after the Second Azov campaign (1696) and Poltava Battle (1709). Here the emperor Peter had a daughter Elizabeth, the future Empress Elizabeth.

At the festival visitors can learn more about the history of Kolomenskoye and its environs, Kozhukhovsky maneuvers, with music and traditional rites of the time of Peter the Great.

Guests will be met by solemn bell-ringing ensemble of ancient calls (bily). Folk and military songs will be performed. Then the show of the episodes of Kozhukhovsky maneuvers will begin.

Spectators will see a battle of two armies - the defending "enemy" archer’s army under the command of Generalissimus I.I. Buturlin and attacking "our" army of the "new order", which was led by Generalissimus Prince F.Yu. Romodanovsky, and the scorer of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, which was Peter Alexeev.

The holiday will be ended with the performing of the ancient chants, vocal music from the end of XVII - the beginning of the XVIII century.