Brightly colored glass, plastic and paper spheres; gnomes, angels and Father Frosts; miniature New Year trees made of modelling clay; animal mascots of the entire Chinese zodiac... Lots of the toys were accompanied by letters with warm wishes and comments about what the toy is supposed to mean and why Russian people associate it the New Year holiday.

As it turned out, in addition to its humanitarian goal, the event also helped to promote the Russian language and culture.

In our region, the event was supported by the "Center for International Cooperation" Autonomous Non-Profit Organization, as well as the Committee for Economic Policy and Development of the Volgograd Region, and the Administration of Volgograd. However, its main organizer is the Moscow Department of Foreign Economic and International Relations, which annually holds a New Year festival in the Syrian Arab Republic for the Syrian children whose parents were killed in action.

According to its Constitution, Syria is a secular state. Therefore, although most of its citizens stick to the Islamic tradition, they still celebrate the New Year on the night of January 1 – with fireworks, a family feast and bright decorations.

Photo: Committee for Economic Policy and Development of the Volgograd Region