The Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia is located in southern Russia in the picturesque foothills of the Caucuses Mountains. In the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries people from central and southern Russia began settling in the area. Nowadays about 80 different nationalities of people live in the republic. The four main indigenous groups are the Karachais, Circassians, Abazins and Nogais. These peoples strive to preserve their culture, passing down their traditions from generation to generation. Having lived in the area for more than a century without conflict, these nations are now in the process of cultural assimilation. They are careful however, to still retain the character and originality of their own people. RTG TV host Evgenia Altfeld travelled to the Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia where she got a taste of the area’s rich culture. She attended a Cherkessk celebration marking a child’s first steps, visited an Abaza wedding, learned the customs associated with the birth of a Nogai child and how the Karachai hay harvest works.