Russia’s Foreign Ministry Gifts Hand-Painted Folk Boards to Media Leaders
Russian media leaders received an unusual gift at a pre-New Year gathering with the Foreign Ministry. Each guest was presented with a hand-painted Gorodets board, a traditional folk craft from the Nizhny Novgorod Region. The boards carried both official imagery and playful folk verses.
The event took place during a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and representatives of Russian media. Lavrov announced that President Vladimir Putin had personally arranged for the gifts to be distributed. Each wooden board featured a detailed illustration of the Foreign Ministry’s main building on the front.
On the reverse side, the boards were decorated with humorous folk verses known as chastushki. This style of painting originates from Gorodets, a town in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, where artisans have long crafted such items. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was also present at the gathering. The combination of official symbolism and light-hearted poetry made the gifts distinctive. Gorodets painting is recognised for its bright colours and intricate designs, often used in decorative household items.
The handcrafted boards served as both a seasonal token and a nod to Russian folk traditions. Media representatives left with a piece of Gorodets art, blending diplomacy with cultural heritage. The Foreign Ministry’s choice of gift highlighted the craft’s enduring role in Russian customs.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
