Sorochyntsi Fair
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Sorochyntsi Fair or Sorochynsky Fair (Ukrainian: Національний Сорочинський ярмарок, translit. Natsiolnal'nyi Sorochyns'kyi yarmarok, Russian: Сорочинcкaя яpмaркa, translit. Sorochinskaya yarmarka) is a large fair held in the village of Velyki Sorochyntsi near Poltava in the Myrhorodskyi Raion (district) of Ukraine.
It was held five times a year during the Russian Empire, then went into a 40-year moratorium during Soviet rule. It is now held annually since its revival after Ukraine gained its independence.
Following a Presidential Decree of August 18, 1999,[1] the fair holds the status of Ukraine's national trade fair.[2]
The fair is a large showcase for traditional handicrafts made by skilled craftsmen, including Reshetilivka embroidery, rugs, Opishnya ceramics, as well theatrical performers who re-enact scenes of village life from famous Ukrainian stories. The August 2007 fair was opened by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.[3]
The historic Sorochyntsi Fair features in a number of Russian works of literature and music, including "The Fair at Sorochintsï", a short story by Nikolai Gogol, and The Fair at Sorochintsï, an opera by Modest Mussorgsky.
