Christmas Ritual “Tsars”

About event

This distinctive Christmas ritual from the village of Semezhevo combines folk theatre, costumed processions and New Year traditions. Young men dressed as “tsars” visit homes, performing scenes from the folk play “Tsar Maximilian”; after dark, the procession is lit by torches. Held on the evening of 13 January into 14 January, the Kalyady Tsars ritual has been on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding since 2009.