The 2nd International Felt Festival "Patterns of Life", dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Tuvan People's Republic will take place on 15 August on Arat square.
It is the only place where it is possible to see and obtain felt products and souvenirs made in various corners of Russia and Mongolia.
Ministry of Culture of Tuva is the organizer of the contest, with financial support of Ministry of agriculture and provisioning of Republic Tyva.
Master craftsmen from Republic Altai, Bashkortostan, Khakassia, as well as from many districts of Mongolia will participate in the festival. An exhibition and sale of yurts will be organized, a fair of folk industries products, felt-making workshops by Tuvan, Khakass, Altai and Mongolian artisans who have preserved traditional methods, of production, and decoration of souvenirs. There will be a contest for the best felt artifact, the best presentation and the best yurt.
The first felt festival took place in Tuva last year and brought a large number of participants and guests…
According to scientific data, felt was first used 5 - 3 thousand years before our era on the territory of what is now Turkey. The raw material of felt production was sheep, camel and goat wool. In medieval Spain, they invented felt made of the fine wool of merino sheep, which allowed the production of more delicate, soft and esthetical material. Nomads of Central Asia make yurts of felt, felt rugs, horse-riding equipment and household furnishings, Slavic people make Russian felt boots, Scandinavians use this ecological material for insulation of saunas. Just like any ecologically clean material, felt is undergoing its "second birth". At exhibitions of exclusive furniture, armchairs and sofas made of felt are shown, and clothing, handbags, belts, dolls and sculptures made of this versatile material do not cause surprise anymore and are quite accessible.
