Penza, 9 January 2015. PenzaNews. An Orthodox Christmas celebration was held in the Penza Lunacharsky Drama Theater on Friday, January 9. It was organized by the fund of family, motherhood and childhood support “Pokrov,” the Penza archdiocese, and the Moscow childhood charity fund “Alexander.”

The event gathered over 1,500 people, including children from large or poor families, orphans, and students of boarding schools controlled by the Penza archdiocese.

The event was prefaced by Christmas carols performed by the Archdiocese children’s choir.

After a playful program titled “The funny adventures of Winter,” Bishop Seraphim of Penza and Nizhny Lomov has wished the guests a happy Christmas and together with the director of “Pokrov” fund Anna Kuznetsova gave presents to the winners of a children’s art contest “The Christmas Star” that involved over 100 children from the regional Sunday schools and orphanages.

The children and their parents also received congratulations from Mikhail Kosoy, chairman of the regional government.

According to the website of the Drama Theater, the Christmas celebration was concluded with a fairy-tale play “The Little Silver Hoof.”