The Easter Gift Festival will be held on the territories of Moscow churches from April 12 to 19.

Every year, the Moscow Department of Culture, the Moscow Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Moscow Directorate of Mass Events organize a festive program in honor of the main Orthodox holiday – the Resurrection of Christ. This year, the Easter Gift festival will be held near five Orthodox churches: the Life-Giving Trinity in the Sviblovo estate, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kulishki, the Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhovo, as well as in the churches of the Resurrection of the Living on the Assumption of the Virgin and St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo.

"The Easter Gift Festival is not just a city holiday, but a good festive tradition that unites generations. This year it is being held for the 11th time. Folklore concerts, a competition for painting two—meter Easter eggs, themed theatrical performances and more have been prepared for the townspeople," said Alexei Fursin, Minister of the Moscow Government and Head of the Department of Culture.

The grand opening of the festival will take place on April 12 from 09:00 to 18:00 at the Holy Trinity Church in the Sviblovo estate. It will be possible to try yourself as a bell ringer and a coiner, take part in unifying family games and enjoy a festive concert.
Famous artists and bands will perform on the stage, performing compositions filled with folklore motifs. The audience is expected
and themed theatrical productions.

"We are glad that on the days of Holy Easter, Muscovites and guests of the capital will share the joy of the Risen Savior, once again remembering the Orthodox spiritual heritage, without which neither the present nor the future of our people and state is unthinkable," said Vladimir Legoyda, chairman of the Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media, who is co—organizing the event.

Also, thematic workshops will be organized for the guests of the holiday throughout the day, where everyone will be able to make a memorable souvenir under the guidance of skilled craftsmen. Those who wish will be able to visit sightseeing tours of the Sviblovo estate and climb the bell tower. The guests will get acquainted with the history of the manor, visit the Bell Museum, which is famous for its unique collection of small church bells of the XVII–XXI centuries, and the Shroud Museum, where you can see artifacts dating back to the time of the crucifixion of Christ, a collection of crosses from different regions, church books and documents. Also at the celebration, guests will be invited to take part in the traditional active Easter games, which were popular in Russia in the past centuries.

The main event will be a competition of teams from Moscow art schools: young artists will paint 10 two-meter Easter eggs.

This year, the theme chosen for the painting is "Family unity — the beauty of God's world." A professional jury will evaluate the works and award the nominations. They will include Alexey Shaposhnikov, Chairman of the Moscow City Duma, and Vladimir Surovtsev, sculptor, People's Artist of the Russian Federation, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, winner of the Government Prize of the Russian Federation, author of the monument to the Holy Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia in Murom, and others. The painted art objects will be displayed in the open air during Easter week.

On the same day, at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kulishki, from 12:00 to 15:00, guests will have a master class painting a themed Easter art object.

The celebration will continue at other festival venues. For example, concerts will be held at the Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhovo on April 18 from 11:00 to 14:00, at the Church of the Resurrection of the Living on Uspensky Vrazhka on April 19 from 12:30 to 15:30, as well as at the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Solntsevo from 12:00 to 15:00. folklore performers and theatrical performances, as well as workshops on painting a two-meter Easter egg model and creative workshops on making Easter souvenirs.