On 2 July Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov accompanied by the Head of the Republic of Mordovia Artyom Zdunov took part in the XII All-Russia rural Sabantuy held in the village of Aksenovo in Mordovia.
A delegation from Tatarstan was the most numerous among other official delegations, which came from 24 entities of Russia, such as Ulyanovsk, Orenburg, Penza, Samara, Bashkortostan and Buryatia.
In his welcoming speech at the ceremonial opening of the fest, Rustam Minnikhanov marked the high level of its organization and said:”Sabantuy is a beautiful holiday celebrated today in 58 regions of our country and 35 countries of the world. I would like to express my gratitude to the Head Mordovia Artyom Zdunov and our colleagues from Kazan and Nurlat region for excellent organization of the fest in this wonderful place”.
Artyom Zdunov marked that the All-Russia rural Sabantuy was one of the most important events of the Year of the cultural Heritage of peoples of Russia and the 1100th anniversary of adopting Islam by the Volga Bulgaria. “Sabantuy is a very joyful holiday symbolizing unity and friendship. We have worked hard and now we can have rest and take part in various competitions,” he said.
Then Rustam Minnikhanov and Artyom Zdunov visited national farmsteads and competition grounds, having watched also All-Russia competitions in belt fighting and traditional games.
All-Russia rural Sabantuy is held in Russia since 2010 and this year Mordovia will pass the baton to Astrakhan region which will host the holiday next year.