The Umka multinational kindergarten in Astana celebrated Friendship Day. The event, held for the fourth consecutive year, was attended by parents as well as representatives of embassies from various countries. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Here, the event is called an ethno-village. The initiator was the founder and director of the kindergarten, Yelena Korobko. "My father is Moldovan, my mother is Kazakh. In our family, traditions, customs, and beliefs are intertwined. We have no division into 'what nationality are you,' 'what status are you,' 'what religion do you follow.' As a teacher, I continue these values through my work in the kindergarten," she said.
The kindergarten has two buildings and educates 140 children. For the guests, ethno-areas with national dishes, master classes, and concert programs were organized. Kazakhstan, Russia, China, Ukraine, Georgia, and India presented their cultures.
According to Korobko, the holiday helped the kindergarten establish close ties with embassies of various countries. "Thanks to this holiday, we became friends with the embassies. We developed especially close relations with Russia. We attend each other's events. We also have good relations with Tajikistan, because among our graduates there are children of embassy staff," she said.
In the Kazakh ethno-village, guests were offered kurt, kumis, meat, baursaks, zhent, shelpek, as well as various fruits and berries.