On September 16, a researcher at the excursion organization department of the Bolgar Museum‑Reserve G. M. Musina conducted a museum lesson as part of the educational all‑Russian project of the Russian Geographical Society “NOT a Geography Lesson” under the motto “Unity in Diversity”. The event was timed to coincide with the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia. The aim was to introduce participants to the richness of the traditions and customs of different ethnic groups, as well as to highlight the role of geography and cultural heritage in understanding the unity and diversity of Russia.
The project involved seven students from Bolgar sanatorium boarding school, who took part in an educational “NOT a Geography Lesson” titled “At the Crossroads of Different Cultures and Traditions in Unity.” The schoolchildren learned about the history of our region at the Museum of Bulgarian Civilization. The children were told what artifacts are and what information about the past they preserve. Using maps and display cases with artifacts from the Middle Volga region, the participants were shown the history of how the area was settled by various peoples over a vast period of time, as well as the formation and development of the state of Volga Bulgaria and its successors. Overall, the “NOT a Geography Lesson” introduced schoolchildren to the rich and unique culture of the peoples of the Middle Volga region, their customs and traditions, culture and civilization. At the end, the children became acquainted with the national tea‑drinking tradition of the Tatar people. The students were treated to pancakes and herbal tea, and they learned how to prepare the treat bal‑may.