On April 8, the winner of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2019 competition was announced in Obinitsa (Setomaa, Estonia) during the 2nd Forum of Finno-Ugric Villages. The next Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture will be Shorunzha village from Mari El Republic of the Russian Federation. The other two finalists of the competition were Arkhangelskoye village from Komi-Permyak Okrug of Perm Krai (Russian Federation) and the town of Zirc from Hungary.
Shorunzha village, located in the Morkinsky District of the Republic of Mari El, is home to 1040 residents, 97% of whom are ethnic Mari. With the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture year, the municipality of Shorunzha aims to raise awareness of the Mari people and culture across the Finno-Ugric world, to upgrade and popularize cultural heritage sites on its territory and to develop cultural tourism. The official programme of the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2019 year will include at least 12 thematic events attracting over 10 000 visitors. The flagship event of the year will be a festival of Finno-Ugric wedding customs “Suan Pairem”, to be held on June 12. The application of Shorunzha was endorsed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Mari El, Mari Association “Mari Mer Kangash” and several regional and local institutions.
