he North of the Nizhni Novgorod province is a bountiful land. The lush green of the flood plain meadows stretches along the low left bank of the Volga bordered with boundless dense forests. Villages and small hamlets are hiding in the forests or lurking near the streams. The lands beyond the Volga made a major contribution to the Russian history; it is a country of many legends. This is the land that was ravaged by the invading Mongol hordes of Batu Khan passing through it on their conquest of Europe more than seven centuries back. This is where the lake Svetloyar is whose clear waters are still preserving the legendary town of Kitezh the citizens of which refused to surrender to the evil force and were redeemed by the Providence as the town was hidden on the bottom of the lake. The folk arts and folklore flourished in the Trans-Volga area of the Nizhni Novgorod province. No other territory in Russia could equal it in the number and originality of the folk arts and crafts that had sprang to life and were developed in the local communities. The Khokhloma painting on wooden articles is, perhaps, the one type of Nizhni Novgorod folk craft that became most popular in Russia and foreign countries.