The A.N. Radishchev Museum hosted a historical program "The Soul of Russia in Its Symbols" for Russian Flag Day. Participants in the program were children from the Belgorod Region staying at the "Nadezhda" sanatorium in the Kuznetsky District.\r\n\r\nMuseum staff told the history of the Russian flag — the official symbol of state authority. The children learned that the white-blue-red flag was first raised during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich on the first Russian warship Oryol ("Eagle"), built in 1667–1669 at the Dedinovskaya shipyard. The legitimate "father" of the tricolor is recognized as Peter I. On January 31, 1705, he issued a decree according to which the white-blue-red flag should be raised "on all kinds of merchant ships"; he himself drew the sample and set the order of the horizontal stripes. The flag acquired official status only in 1896, when, on the eve of Nicholas II's coronation, the Ministry of Justice determined that the national color should be "ultimately considered to be white-blue-red, and no other."\r\n\r\nDuring the program the young visitors assembled Russia's symbol from puzzles, took part in a festive quiz, and, by solving riddles, embarked on a journey through Russian cities.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the event, the children took part in a workshop "The Flag of My Homeland" and made a Russian flag out of colored paper.\r\n\r\nRussian Flag Day is a celebration for all generations of Russians, a tribute to the history of a great country. The tricolor banner is inextricably linked with the formation of the Russian state; it has become a symbol of military victories and achievements. This holiday evokes in us a sense of pride for our great country and for our compatriots.
