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Heritage Celebration at Fort Ross

Fort Ross Cultural Heritage Day is a celebration of the cultural diversity and the arts, crafts and traditional activities of the inhabitants of Fort Ross.
From 1812 to 1841 Russian American Company Settlement Ross was home to a unique blend of cultural groups: Russians, Creoles, Native Alaskans, and Kashaya and Coast Miwok Native Californians.   Russian trappers migrated from Alaska south and in 1812, landed at Bodega Bay (Port Rumiantsev), and later founded a settlement north from there. They named the fort “Ross,” an old name for “Russia.” In 1836 Father Ioann Veniaminov recorded: "Fort Ross contains 260 people: 154 male and 106 female. There are 120 Russians, 51 Creoles, 50 Kodiak Aleuts, and 39 baptized Indians."

The annual Cultural Heritage Day at Fort Ross was held this year on Saturday, July 30, 2011.   A liturgy, officiated by Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk, Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA, Father Andrei of the St.Nicholas Cathedral in San Francisco and other clergy, and opening ceremonies including directors and staff of Fort Ross, Consul General of Russian Federation, Vladimir N. Vinokurov started the day in the early morning. Festivities throughout the day, included costumed participants in a day of traditional activities and demonstrations, including blacksmithing, weaving, spinning, needlework, metalworking, woodworking, rope making, knot tying, and traditional Russian food preparation.  Also, on the program were Russian songs and dances throughout the day by the local particapnts, as well as entertainment by Nikolai Massenkoff, the Slavyanka Men's Choir and special guests "Sibirskaya Vechora", a folk dance and song group from Krasnoyarsk, and musket and cannon demonstrations.

Representatives from Fort Ross Interpretive Association, Renova Foundation, Chevron and Congress of Russian Americans discussed opportunities for partnering for next year's 2012 Bicentennial Fort Ross Celebrations.  Fort Ross Cultural Heritage Day next year will be held for two days, the last weekend in July, but there will be numerous events, starting in January to commemorate this special celebration of Russian American relations.