Russia's republic of Tuva end four-day festivities on its 90th

GORNO-ALTAISK, August 15 (Itar-Tass) -- Four-day festivities dedicated
to the 90th anniversary of Russia's republic of Tuva, located in southern
Siberia, and the Naadym, or a folk festival of animal-breeders, end on
Monday, which has been declared a holiday in the republic.
The last day of festivities will see an international thick felt
festival "The Tracery of Life." Felt-makers from Altai, Bashkortostan,
Khakassia, and from neighboring Mongolia will show and sell their
products, the press service of the Tuva government said. The program of
the festival also features master classes of felt-makers, contests, etc.
The aim of the festival is to develop interregional cooperation, to revive
folk traditions and crafts.
Jubilee festivities started in Tuva on August 12 in the settlement of
Kochetovo, where a Tuva-wide Khural (conress) on August 14-16, 1921
declared the first-ever national state of the Tuvan people - the Tuva
People's Republic.
In October 1944, the Tuva People's Republic voluntarily ceded to the
Soviet Union. Now the Republic of Tyva is part of the Siberian federal
district. Its area is 170,500 square kilometers, and the population
numbers 306,000 people, of whom 80 percent are Tuvans.