Bashkortostan marks Republic Day: concerts, a crafts fair and a "Cup of the Republics" with Uzbek athletes in Ufa

Bashkortostan celebrates Republic Day every year on 11 October: on that day in 1990 the Supreme Soviet of the Bashkir ASSR adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. This year the holiday falls on a Sunday, so the day off moves to Monday and the republic's more than 4 million residents get a three-day weekend from 10 to 12 October.

Celebrations in the capital, Ufa, began on 9 October. From 10 to 12 October the Palace of Wrestling hosts the "Cup of the Republics", where about 170 athletes from Bashkortostan and Uzbekistan compete in several styles of wrestling and judo.

On the morning of 11 October flowers will be laid at the Friendship Monument, and from noon parks and gardens across the city will host "Melodies of the Native Land" holiday programmes. As part of a national festival dedicated to Republic Day, Salavat Fatkhutdinov, People's Artist of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, will give a free concert, alongside folk-craft workshops, a craftsmen's fair and traditional food.