ERVEL MARIY

“ERVEL MARIY”     (“Eastern    Mari”) M a r i   e t h n i c   c u l t u r a l   a u t o n o m y i n B a s h k o r t o s t a n, a NGO established in Ufa in 1989. Has branches and departments in local Mari communities. Annually holds the Inter-Regional Eastern Mari ethnic dance contest “Silver Cord”, the folk celebration “Crown Made of Songs”, the youth contest of Mari popular songs “Kama voices”, Days of Mari Culture, etc. There are Mari folk bands and dance companies in the region like “Akbulatovskiy Mari”, “True Mari”, “Silver Spring”, “Flush of Dawn” (all in Mishkinskiy District, Bashkortostan), “Morning Power” (Kaltasinskiy District, Bashkortostan) etc., which take part in various holidays, contests, and festivals including “Heart of Eurasia” art festival. Under the auspices of the center, teachers of the Mari language and literature are trained in Bashkir State University, Birsk branch and in Blagoveshchensk Teachers College; there are museums dedicated to the legacy of Mari art classics, etc.