On 17-18 August Ancient Kyiv of the Principality of Kyivan Rus ("Park of Kyivan Rus") will host the XXIII International Festival of National Military and Traditional Cultures “Cossack Spas” of Anatoly Yermak. The guests will see Cossacks from all over Ukraine and a true Cossack martial spirit, an impressive presentation of national martial arts, equestrian shows, master classes and a fair of craftsmen, competitions with the participation of the best athletes of Ukrainian and foreign federations, and taste delicious fire dishes.
The annual festival will bring together over 500 participants from Ukraine and abroad, representing various schools of national martial arts. On Saturday, at 14.00, at the opening of the program, guests will be greeted by a solemn appearance of costumed participants of the competition. For the first time a mace 3.5 m long and weighing about 100 kg will be shown in Ancient Kyiv.
Also, the guests of the festival will see impressive fights: the Cossack wrestling "Shtovkhach", the Cossack wrestling "cross to the cross," the Cossack wrestling on the belts, the Ukrainian hand-to-hand fighting "Spas". And the massiveness will amaze the "Wall on the wall" (pugilism), in which about 100 participants will take part. The best achievements of the national martial culture of the Ukrainian people and nations of the world, products of folk artists, demonstration performances of martial arts schools, performances of singers, kobzars will be presented at the festival, presentations of books of writers about the Ukrainian fighting culture and the Cossacks will take place.