OREANDA-NEWS Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday arrived in the Peter and Paul fortress at the festivities and made a traditional midday shot from a cannon.

The tradition of Zuhr volley has more than a dozen years, the line on the shot is observed quite strictly. On Christmas day, the right to a volley of cannon came for honorary Builder of Russia Vladimir Bendeta, which is on January 7th at the age of 85 years.

The tradition of a cannon shot at a certain time of the day exists in some other port cities in Russia and in a number of other countries, but only in St. Petersburg such a shot is officially recognized as a symbol of the city. For the first time to hold such a ceremony in the city proposed in 1735, French astronomer, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Joseph delil, but the first shot was given only in 1865. First, the gun was fired from the Admiralty, and in 1873 it was moved to the Naryshkin Bastion of the Peter and Paul fortress. The tradition remained until 1934, when the Leningrad authorities decided to cancel it, it was resumed in 1957, when the 250th anniversary of the city was celebrated with a delay of four years.

Later, the Head of State visited the festival of ice sculptures in the Peter and Paul fortress "Journey around the world".

The President inspected the exhibits and took pictures with the children who came to the exhibition on Monday.

The dominant feature of the festival is almost eight-meter high ship with scarlet sails. It also presents all the continents with their characteristic architecture, flora and fauna, as well as the underwater world of the oceans. The sculptures, transformed with the help of multi-colored artistic lighting, are placed in a huge tent-refrigerator, where the temperature is kept below zero. In previous years, the thaw has repeatedly interfered with the work of the festival, so that in 2015 it was decided to hold it under the roof and guarantee the presence of cold with the help of technical means.

Among the exhibits of the "winter" material-the statue of Liberty on a surfboard, as well as divorced spans Palace bridge - one of the most recognizable attractions of St. Petersburg. Guests are also invited to make a wish at the big pig-piggy Bank - a symbol of the coming 2019.

In St. Petersburg, the President also visited Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Romanov family tomb in the Peter and Paul fortress in St. Petersburg.

After visiting the Cathedral, the President took pictures with local residents and tourists, who gathered more than usual on Monday - festivities began in the Peter and Paul fortress.