An exhibition titled 'Happy New Year, Comrades!' (0+) opened at the museum and exhibition center 'Diorama', dedicated to celebrating the New Year in different periods of Soviet history from the 1930s to the 1980s. The exhibition features items from the collection of the P.V. Alabin Kirov Regional Museum of Local Lore and the private collection of Konstantin Agalakov. For many years he collected figurines of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka, New Year ornaments, decorations, garlands, costumes, and masks.
"Kirov, which became the New Year's Capital of Russia this year, is entering the pre-New Year's phase. Today's exhibition will evoke many childhood memories and introduce some people to how the New Year was celebrated in the past. I'm sure the exhibition will attract the attention of Kirov residents and city visitors," said Daniil Dvortsov, Minister of Culture of the Kirov Region.
The exhibition opened the program of events that the museum will hold as part of the project 'Kirov – New Year's Capital of Russia'. Visitors were able to see the symbol of the New Year's Capital of Russia — the crystal Snowflake.
The exhibition features more than 1,000 exhibits that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere of different years. The earliest items in the display are New Year decorations from the 1930s, when New Year celebrations were revived in the USSR. These include homemade paper ornaments and papier-mâché figurines, which nonetheless hold special historical value, having been preserved for almost 100 years.
Also unique are the New Year toys that appeared during the Great Patriotic War: balloons, airplanes, toy soldiers, and medic dogs. There is an exhibit that is one of a kind — a sculpture of Ded Moroz that was handmade in 1945 by workers of Plant No. 537 (now the Kirov 'Mayak' Plant).
The exhibition will run until January 19, 2025.
