OREANDA-NEWS. August 6, 2012. The village of Mikhailovskoye is a traditional area densely inhabited by the community of Lydik Karelians, many of its local residents speak their native language and preserve Karelian traditions. The Lydik Cultural Center opened in the village in 2010, and Raisa Koponeva, former head of the rural settlement, became its director.

The Cultural Center works actively in the sphere of education among local residents and guests of the village, receives tourists, organizes annual scout camp Ilmori for young Lydik Karelians, etc.

Support of the Lydik Society (Finland) is of great value to the Center in its work. This year the Society Chairman Herman Hakala and members of the Board have visited the traditional rural festival of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God.

Let us also remind, that in June the Periodika publishing house and the Lydik Society have concluded the agreement on the joint project of release of the book The Lydik Poverbs and Sayings from Pryazha prepared on the basis of the book Sananlaskuja Aunuksen Praasasta (Helsinki, 1971).

Proverbs and sayings were collected by the local teacher, the Pryazha's native Anna Samsonova. The collector was Grigory Makarov (1918-1972), scientist of Institute of Linguistics, History and Literature of Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Science.

Periodika publishing house has taken an active part in the event having organized the exhibition and sale and advertising of books in Karelian, Veppsian, and Finnish languages. Guests if the festival have paid much attention to the publishing house's best seller, Native Costume of Karelia by T.Yashkova, as well as to the recently released almanac Taival-2012 in Karelian language.