Shop
Orenburg Down Shawl Day
Orenburg Down Shawl Day is celebrated on 14 October: where the holiday came from, why this date was chosen and how it is celebrated in Orenburg.
14 October is Orenburg Down Shawl Day. Representatives of almost every profession have their own holidays, as do birds, animals, inventions and phenomena – often more than one. But the down-knitting craft, with more than 200 years of history, long had no such day.
This injustice was corrected in 2009. Then, to revive cultural traditions and the folk craft, the Orenburg Down Shawl Days and the event "On Intercession Day, put on a shawl" were held for the first time. Its essence is simple: everyone who wants to support the down-knitting craft puts on a snow-white down shawl on this day, 14 October.
Why the Feast of the Intercession
The date coincides with a church holiday as pure and bright as the down shawl itself – the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. In addition, it was after the Intercession that agricultural work used to end, and Orenburg down knitters devoted themselves entirely to knitting beautiful down items. That is why it was decided to celebrate the holiday in honour of the warm symbol of the Orenburg region on 14 October.
How it is celebrated in Orenburg
In the capital of the Orenburg region, Orenburg Shawl Day is celebrated on a special scale. All the events do not fit into one day, so the celebration usually lasts three days. Honouring down knitters, setting records, opening exhibitions, festive concerts, flash mobs, announcing contest results and, of course, the nationwide event "On Intercession Day, put on a shawl" – and that is far from a complete list.
On this day it is customary to give white down shawls – a symbol of purity, warmth and tenderness.
