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The holiday seems not to be big, in any case – not a national one, not even regional, but local, but very remarkable and funny. Every year it is celebrated in St. Petersburg, and specifically – in the Hermitage. Hence the name of this celebration.
Tomorrow, that is, Saturday, May 22, this unique Russian the holiday will be held in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace of St. Petersburg. It is completely devoted to cats and cats, which for two centuries now guard from rodents one of the leading museums in Russia.
The holiday will solemnly open at noon and it will begin with summing up a contest no less unique than the holiday itself children’s drawings on the theme “Museum Cat Night”. As they say members of the jury, they were quite surprised not only by the abundance of various drawings dedicated to the guard cats sent to this contest, but also the fantasies of little artists. And this despite the fact that around and everywhere cries of fears of teachers that the computer deprives our children’s imagination. Not at all …
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On the Day of the Hermitage Cat, as, however, in the subsequent Sunday, for visitors from twelve to sixteen hours mysterious and so attractive (especially for children) basements of the Winter Palace. Therefore, each visitor to the holiday can take a walk to where the guard cats live. All not only cats and cats are waiting for visitors to basements and fairy-tale popular print project “The Tale of the Cat Vasily Vologodsky” Russian artist Evgeny Rodionov. However, various festive events on this day, as always, will be many. The holiday is not only traditional, but also beloved and very expected by a certain audience, therefore, to its holding at the highest Hermitage workers always get ready with all responsibility.
From the history of the holiday dedicated to cats
Hermitage cats, as these four-legged are honorably called here museum guards, trace their history back to Peter the Great, who at the beginning of the eighteenth century he brought a special cat from Holland, to settle him in the Winter Palace as a rodent guard. Later, the daughter of Peter I, Empress Elizabeth even issued a decree on sending special cats to the yard. And Catherine II, having founded The Hermitage, in all seriousness, also reacted to protecting it from rodents, giving the cats and cats that settled here honorary status guards art galleries.
The tradition of keeping cats in the Hermitage was broken only during Leningrad blockade, however, after the end of that terrible tests for the city, cats and cats were again brought to the museum. By the way, during the blockade in Leningrad, so many rats divorced that they became a serious threat even to humans, so the first road transport to a liberated city, no matter how it may seem some strange, I didn’t go with food, but with cats. Naturally, some of the happiest four-legged Hermitage. It’s possible that today’s security team, consisting of approximately one hundred cats and cats, has hereditary ties with those post-war animals brought to Leningrad.
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Cats Time Russia Artists
