“2008 – the Year of the Frog”
28 March 2008
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Before the even took place, a problem arose how it was possible to make the kiss of the frog a symbolic, clear to people, and the main thing was how to involve them in the process of kissing. The first thing which we offered to our visitors was making of wonderful photographs so they could remember the “Kiss of the Frog”; the photographs were made by a designer.
All the participants of the event were happy to receive such photographs to remember this event.
The second thing which we made – every hour we played for our visitors an original fairy-tale. The story-teller was a frog-guide, and the action was taking place on the “swamp”. The fairy-tale was about an amazing beauty-girl, the favorite character of the Russian fairy-tales – Vasilissa. Beside the fact that our Vasilissa came from a fairy-tale, she also was a member of the Society on protection of animals. And she came to the swamp to help preserve amphibians: she heard that if somebody would kiss a frog this frog would not disappear, but instead, she would begin to breed. And amphibians can bring much benefit, and she told about it both to our visitors and to the Wise Owl who lives near the swamp. Vasilissa who was trying to catch at least one frog and to kiss it, has frightened all frogs away. .. And if it was not the Owl who told Vasilissa about the reasons of extinction of amphibians, she would have never fulfilled her mission. One rare frog was living on the swamp which the Owl, who was inspired with the enthusiasm of Vasilissa, gave to the girl to be kissed.
And since Vasilissa had to visit other swamps and ponds, our visitors were supposed to kiss other frogs on the “swamp”, in which the frog-guide helped them. Inspired with the scene they saw, people began to kiss the frogs, and they were doing it with thrill and adoration! We suggested kissing of Australian green tree frog (Litoria caerulea), Digging frogs (Pyxicephalus edulus), as well as Common grass frog (Rana temporaria).
All the participants (about 60 persons) who kissed a frog received a photograph of their kiss to remember it, and also a badge of the campaign “The Year of the Frog”.
And visitors, who did not dare to kiss a live frog, still were able to take part in the even “To Kiss a Frog”: specially for this event we made a stand with the picture of kissing frogs with a cut out window for the face. Visitors could make their photograph in this window and to take this photograph with them to remember this event.
It was possible to have a look at the best photographs of kisses (about 30 in number) at Exotarium from the 5th till the 14th of March during the exhibition of the photographs about the event “To Kiss a Frog”.
Our local mass media turned out to be very sympathetic which also supported this exhibition, and all members of their staffs were kissing frogs. We also put the photographs of these kisses on our photo-exhibition. Some participants of the event helped us make ready the photo-exhibition and proposed their own slogans about help for frogs!