The 4nd International Felt Festival "Patterns of Life" will take place on 15 August on Arat square within the framework of the Day of the Republic. It will be possible to see and obtain felt products and souvenirs made in various corners of Russia and Mongolia. Master craftsmen from Kazachstan, Republic Altai, Bashkortostan, Khakassia, as well as from many aimaks of Mongolia will participate in the festival. There will be an exhibition and sale of yurts, a fair of folk industries products, felt-making workshops by artisans who have preserved traditional methods, and competitions.

Head of Tuva Sholban Kara-ool congratulated today to his 88^th birthday Mongush Kenin-Lopsan - national writer and scholar, known for his works on research of shamanism, for which he was awarded the title of permanent President of Tuvan shamans. The Premier, just like every time on this date, visited the scholar at his tiny residence in the center of Kyzyl - a rare log cabin dating from the beginning of last century, and spent a long time in conversation with the Tuvan elder.

"Each nation is a star on the night sky, which lights the way to knowledge and understanding of life", - this is what Tuvan aksakal (elder) Mongush Borakhovich Kenin-Lopsan says. For him, the star lit up in long-ago year 1947, when he among graduates of Kyzyl School No. 2 went to Leningrad State University.

The Polar star (according to Tuvan mythology "Grandmother-Doe") glowed and glittered, and led M. B. Kenin-Lopsan along the thorny road of a scholar. Candidate, then Doctor of History, he himself lit up quite a few new stars on the sky - his students. His works about the poetry of shamanism are published in many languages of the world, and in the USA he has the title of an academician and a Living treasure of Shamanism.

A joint interregional project "National motifs in the art of Tuva and Khakassia", which is currently being worked on by Khakass and Tuvan national museums, will be the first action in the framework of Agreement about co-operation in the field of museum work, which h was signed during the visit of Khakass delegation to Republic Tyva in early March 2013.

Hamburg Museum of Ethnography is one of the best known in the world and the largest in Germany. Its director, professor Doctor Wulf Koepke conducted research among native tribes in North America, and he also studied the traditions of Mordva (Erzya, Moksha). He is well acquainted with myths and rituals of Tuvan shamans.

Remember that 13 years ago, a delegation from Tuva which included shamans, led by Professor Mongush Kenin-Lopsan went to Hamburg and even conducted a purification ritual of Koepke's home and his collection, and also treated patients.

On 24 March, on the stage of the great hall of Khakassia republic Philharmony, there will be a concert of the legendary group Huun-Huur-Tu - the most famous ethno-ensemble in the world. On the pages of "The New York Times", the group has been described as a "musical wonder", and the "San Francisco Chronicle" called the group "magic of vocals", as the press-service of the ministry of culture of Khakassia noted.

Russian Geographic Society and "Khakasskiy" nature preserve announced the third session of recruitment of volunteers for excavations of Early Scythian archeological sites in Tuva and Krasnoyarsk Krai - in locations of the future "Kyzyl - Kuragino" railway route. An agreement was signed on 15 February , as the web-site of the preserve, which was read by the correspondent of Sib.fm, states.

Khakass Republic section of Russian Geographic Society and nature preserve "Khakasskiy" announced recruitment of volunteers for participation in the third field season of the international archeologic-geographic expedition "Kyzyl - Kuragino", as the preserve's site announced.

On 16 February at 18:00 hours in the city of Reggio Emilia, there was a ceremonial opening of exhibition of Evgeny Antufiev, twenty-six year-old Russian artist, a native of Republic Tyva.

Colleccione Maramotti is the largest private collection of contemporary art of XX Century from the '50's to our time, which was originated by the founder of Max Mara company Achille Maramotti, and which is now continued by his two sons - Luigi and Ignace, and daughter Ludovica. The collection holds about five hundred works of art ranging from Francis Backham, and Parmigiani to Alex Katz - artists hailing from Italy, USA, England, Germany and France.

Editing of film about Tuva filmed with support of Russian Geographic Society as part of the cycle "Fortunate People" is almost complete. In the summer of 2012, the film team led by director Dmitry Vasyukov visited remote, inaccessible areas of Tuva. Regardless of forest fires raging in many districts of Tuva, the film team successfully shot a massive volume of material, containing scenes of life and customs of people from the most distant corners of the republic.

STEPS TO THE 100^th ANNIVERSARY

Tuva is planning to hold a biennale of contemporary urban sculpture with invitations to Russian and foreign sculptors. After the end of the exhibition, the works will be placed in the streets of Tuvan capital.

This is a joint project of  Ministry of Culture of Tuva and of the mayor's office of Kyzyl to celebrate  the 100^th anniversary of  the republic's joining with Russia, and 100^th anniversary of  Kyzyl. As the ministry announced, the idea of the contest originated with the well-known sculptor Baiza Ondar and his Kievan colleague Nikita Mazayev. They will attempt to mobilize other colleagues to take part, including those from Russian regions and from abroad. 12 works will be selected from sketches submitted by the contestants, and the authors will be invited to Tuva, where they will create the actual sculptures.