Christmas is always full of miracles. The 800 children who came to this Nativity fest arranged for them by the monastery had a chance to see it on their own.

The first miracle is that everybody has a chance to become friends with the prince. And not just with prince alone! Children learned this from "The Enchanted Prince" performance that the students of our Sunday School had put on. This is a Christmas story, at times sad, at times cheerful, with a very profound meaning. It tells us that in every person – even the slightest one, even the one who seems absolutely useless, it is possible to discern an Enchanted Prince. The Prince is the living soul of the human being, the image of God imprinted in each one of us. One need only learn to see it – and then the world around you would be changed; people would be different, much closer and dearer. How does one learn to see a prince in each and every person? A simple answer is found in the Gospel. This is what the King from the fairy tale chose for his coat of arms: "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them" (Matthew 7:12).

The second miracle was when several hundred children, ages 4 to 15, gathered together around the Christmas tree, and no one was embarrassed by anyone, everybody felt nice and merry together. Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden organized exciting games at the celebration after the performance, so that everybody had fun: both the children and their parents. The traditional round dance around the tree this time was the game of the little train that would stop at different stations: dance spot and others, with the final destination being the "Gifts". And the third miracle was that such a diverse bunch of people were able to arrange for this amazing, wonderful celebration: professional stage directors, young actors, sound engineers, singers from the "Exapostillarion" studio, Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden. From the bottom of the heart we thank stage directors Dmitry Mikhaylovich Orlov and Natalya Vitalyevna Lebedeva; the director of the choir studio Natalya Gennadyevna Baklanova, and all those who helped at the preparation of the celebration. We especially thank the young actors who participated in the play: for their work at the rehearsals, for the vacation time they sacrificed, and for their love and desire to bring joy to others! This is why the play came out so bright and warm! And, we believe, the fourth miracle did take place – everybody who attended left the celebration somewhat changed and became better, merrier, kinder.

The Sunday of January 21st in the Vostochny village was bright and joyous. Children from the nearby villages of the Verkhotursky region and the actors from the Sunday school of Ekaterinburg gathered together to celebrate the Nativity of Christ one more time.
Feasts never duplicate one another. So, at the celebration in Vostochny there were its own pleasures, its own ideas. A day before the celebration, on Saturday, while the actors were intensely rehearsing, the Sunday School teacher Galina Rikhardovna Kinash conducted a workshop of traditional folk doll-making for the village children. Over twenty girls took home completed self-made toys.
The celebration itself began on Sunday after Liturgy. The auditorium of the village cultural center was packed: over 500 children and about 150 adults came to see the performance. "The Enchanted Prince" was a huge success. It was followed by a merry Christmas party with games and riddles, and gifts for all the children!
How much joy on the faces of all the children! Many of the adults would come up to the actors and thank them for a wonderful occasion. The actors themselves will not forget this trip, as the one who brings joy to others actually receives the most joy.
The Ekaterinburg actors were delighted to breathe the fresh air of taiga, and the bravest of them even dived in the Theophany ice hole font on the Tura-river. A great many thanks to all who labored at this performance and helped with the trip. Thank you very much for your work and prayers! Glory be to God for everything!