Posts tagged with "celebrating the russian way"

Victory Day – All You Want to Know

Posted by yelena 7 Comments
May 5 2010

In just a few days Russia will be celebrating one of its most significant days, «День Победы» [Victory Day]. How much do you know about this holiday? Well, I hope after reading this post you will know quite a bit more. So let’s get going with the «День Победы – вопросы и ответы» [Victory Day Q&A.]

Q: What’s this Victory Day all about?

A: If you don’t know yet, «День Победы» commemorates Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

Q: How important is Victory Day celebration to average Russian people? Isn’t it all state-driven propaganda similar to now-defunct «День Великой Октябрьской социалистической революции» [the Great October Socialist Revolution Day]?

A: Victory Day is an enormously important holiday for all people of Russia (and the former Soviet republics). It wouldn’t be too much to say that it’s one of the three «наиважнейшие» [most significant] annual holidays, the other two being the New Year and one’s birthday.

«Иначе и быть не может» [how could it be otherwise] –  even the most conservative numbers estimate the losses at 26 million people, including civilian deaths. These numbers are awfully impersonal. But look through a family photo album and chances are there will be at least one old photo of someone – father, husband, mother, sister – who perished in the war.  As Russians so often say, «нет в нашей стране ни одной семьи, не затронутой этой войной» [in our country, there is not a single family that was spared by this war.]

Q: Why is Victory Day celebrated on May 9th in Russia when in Western Europe it’s May 8th?

A: The German «акт о безаговорочной капитуляции» [Act of Unconditional Surrender] was signed in Rheims, France on May 7, 1945. It was to be in full effect as of 11:01pm on May 8, 1945. However, the document had to be ratified the following day in Berlin since it had to be signed by the Soviet Supreme Commander, Marshal Georgy Zhukov.   By the time the Act was signed, it was already «девятое мая» [May 9th] in Moscow.

Q: How do Russians celebrate Victory Day?

A: A few days before the Victory Day Russian leaders, including local leaders, lay wreaths at the war memorials. Then, of course, there’s the Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square and, later in the evening, a concert, artillery salvo and fireworks. Smaller parades and fireworks are held in many cities across Russia.

This year things are going to be very different. To start with, the number of cities that will hold Victory Parades will be huge. 72 cities in Russia and 1 in Ukraine will participate in what’s become known as «общероссийский парад Победы» [the all-Russia Victory Parade]. Also, while traditionally Victory Day parades start at 10am local time, this year they are all synchronized to start at exactly 10am Moscow time – «в десять часов утра по московскому времени».

Q: Why 10am?

A: Because that was the time the very first Victory Day Parade started. The first parade took place on June 24, 1945. The video is the first part of the documentary recording of that first parade (the second part is also available on YouTube).

YouTube Preview Image

Q: Are there any traditional Victory Day songs?

A: There are quite a few, but here are the two most famous ones. The first one, written in the first days of the war, became the de-facto war anthem, calling the country to rise up for the sacred battle. The second one, written for the 30th anniversary of the Victory, is a bitter-sweet reminder of the costs of the Victory.

«Священная война» [Sacred War]

«День Победы» [Victory Day]

Q: Do regular Russians get to participate in Victory Day parades?

A: Only as «зрители» [spectators]. Victory Day parades are 100% military parades, conducted in pass-and-review style. Civilians get to join in only through watching, waving Russian flags and wearing «Георгиевская ленточка» [the ribbon of St. George] – an orange (fire) and black (smoke)- striped ribbon that recently became a symbol of remembrance of «Великая Отечественная война» [the Great Patriotic War] and of respect for the war veterans.

Q: Speaking of veterans – are there many left? What’s being done for them?

A: There are just over 300,000 veterans left. Keep in mind that even the youngest ones are in their 80ies. While there are lots of «высокопарные слова» [highfalutin words] said about their heroic deeds and sacrifices and millions of ribbons handed out to schoolchildren, it is widely acknowledged that not enough is done to improve veterans’ living conditions or provide the care they need. As some point out, the money that «чиновники на верху» [high-placed government officials] spent on this year’s lavish festivities would’ve been put to better end use to improve veterans’ lives in a direct way.

Q: Where can I watch this year’s parade if I don’t have access to Russian TV channels?

A: I’ve been asking this question myself for a while now. Try the State’s official «интернет-канал Россия» [Internet-channel “Russia”]

Some of our Facebook fans suggested the online real-time broadcast of Russia’s First Channel . It looks promising, but keep in mind that they broadcast on Moscow time plus not all of their sub-channels will be available from your country.  

Another suggestion was the English-language www.rt.com (go to their On Air section on the day of the parade; they must have at least some of it in the News segments). Failing all of that, wait until someone uploads videos to YouTube.

Real Poetry for Real Russians – Part II

Posted by yelena 4 Comments
Apr 14 2010

soviet postcardsRemember the Real Poetry for Real Russians post? At the end of it I promised to tell you whether having to memorize, as children, lots and lots of poems helps Russians in practical daily life.

I was all fired up to write the Part II of this post when something quite unexpected happened – I bought a March/April issue of Russian Life magazine.  Ok, so nothing unexpected here; I do buy this magazine often enough that I really ought to subscribe to it. The unexpected part was that on page 27, there was an article titled A Country of Poets, by Mikhail Ivanov.

Loaded with excellent examples, the article’s main point is that

“Russians love rhymes, especially ones that demonstrate a knowledge of cultural touchstones.”

Remember the three little phrases I suggested you to memorize? Now I can go back and refer to them as cultural touchstones.

The article then goes on to explain that “[Russians] garnish day-to-day speech with what we call присловья or прибаутки – facetiously rhymed catch-phrases and expressions that spice up the language.”

Well, since Russian Life took care of my plans for Part II of the Real Poetry mini-series, then it’s time for Part III – «поздравительные стихи» [celebratory or special occasions poetry].

Let’s sum up what we already know :

1. Russians are exposed to A WHOLE LOT of poetry «с младых ногтей» [from the youngest age; lit. from tender fingernails].

2. Russians love to sprinkle their everyday conversations with «прибаутки» [rhyming catch-phrases], «рифмы» [rhymes] and famous poetic one-liners.

3. Russians are fond of celebrating special occasions of all sorts, but especially birthdays, anniversaries and various other «юбилеи» [jubilees], whether personal, organizational or those of the State.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that celebratory poetry takes a special place in Russian hearts. Actually, it takes on some epic proportions. A few days before major holidays, Russian social network «Одноклассники» [Classmates] gets clogged up with holiday best wishes in verse.

From something as simple as

«С праздником поздравляем, здоровья и счастья желаем!» [On this occasion we are congratulating; much health and happiness are a-waiting!]

to mid-range congrats, such as this Maslenitsa-themed one (notice pancakes, reference to Maslenitsa doll, and saying goodbye to winter)

«Желаю Вам за стол присесть, блинов с икорочкой поесть, сжечь бабу, зиму проводить, прошу меня за всё простить!» [Wishing you to sit at your table, eat some pancakes with caviar, burn Maslenitsa effigy, see winter off, and forgive me for everything! ]

To heavy-hitters such as this birthday wish:

Russian English
У тебя сегодня день рождения
Желаем счастья и добра
И вечной юности цветенья
Улыбок, солнца и тепла…		 Today is your birthday
We are wishing you happiness and goodness
The never-ending bloom of youth
Smile, sun and warmth…

(if you want to read the rest of this wish – 13 more lines – check it out here along with many other poetic birthday wishes)

If such an all-encompassing list of birthday wishes seems a bit too much, here’s something short and to the point (for men, by a man):

Russian English
Здоровья много, не болеть!
На юге летом загореть!
Зарплату получать побольше!
Катать семью на красном порше!		 Be in good health, don’t get sick!
Get sun tan at the beach and quick!
Huge raise in your salary!
And a red Porsche for the family!

Of course, this is no high poetry, no A. Pushkin or A. Blok. Not even S. Marshak or A. Barto, those of cheesy children’s rhymes. Most Russians I know cringe when they are on the receiving end of this poetry or try to laugh it off. And yet… when special occasion looms ahead, we rise up to the challenge and pen our own celebratory «панегирики» [panegyrics ], with all the requisite flourishes of the genre. 

It’s a русский народный [Russian people’s] Hallmark. The idea is to not take it too seriously. After all, these are celebratory poems, read in a company of friends and at a table heavily-laden with «закуски» [appetizers] and «выпивка» [alcohol]. As a good Russian «поговорка» [saying] goes, «главное не подарок, а внимание» [it’s the thought that counts; lit: it’s not the gift that’s important, but the attention]

С днём защитника Отечества! [Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day!]

Posted by josefina No Comments
Feb 23 2009

It is THE holiday season in Russia right now: On the 14th of February it’s «День всех влюблённых» [The Day of Everybody in Love], then on the 23rd it’s «День защитника Отечества» [Defender of the Fatherland Day], wrapping up on the 8th of March with «Международный женский день» [International Women's Day]. Out of these three holidays – on all of which it is custom to give «подарки для любимых» [presents to your loved ones] – the two last ones are also holidays in the sense that you get the day off from work/studies!

Where I come from we don’t have the holidays that are colloquially known as ‘Man Day’ and ‘Women’s Day’ in the same sense that Russia does, but there are ‘Father’s Day’ (in the spring) and ‘Mother’s Day’ (in the fall). My mother used to frown whenever Father’s Day came around, always commenting the occasion with the following words: “Every day of the year is Man Day!”. Growing up as I did, I can blame my doubtful view of today’s Russian public holiday on my liberal, gender-aware, slightly feministic and rebelliously progressive Swedish upbringing. In Russia, however, things are a little bit different – especially in the way that there is a bigger difference between the sexes. One could boil it all down to Russian men being ‘real men’ who drink, smoke, open doors, carry grocery bags, bring home the dough and put their foot down whenever something is displeasing to their point of view, thus making Russian women ‘real women’ who cook, clean, stay at home with the kids, dress in overly feminine clothes even when it isn’t practical, listen rather than speak and have an incessant need to be protected by one of the Fatherland’s Protectors, i.e. Russian real men. Or Russia is a country, at least away from Moscow and St. Petersburg, that hasn’t been as influenced by feminism and equality as most Western countries. In some cases I actually like it. I like it when men hold up the door, when men give up their seats on the buses for women and old babushkas alike or get off the bus first so that they can give you their hand to hold when you’re getting off. That part I have come to like, even though it was shocking – yes, shocking! – to me at first. Now I think going on a date with a man who wasn’t Russian would be disappointing in a way – with no guarantee of flowers, and the possibility of splitting the check…

Right now I’m studying at a Master’s program in Russian literature at Ural State University. Not surprisingly, perhaps, out of the 22 students in my class there is only one boy. And I think that the case of our one male student can clearly show how different a society Russia can be for men and women respectively. Our fellow «студент» [student] or «магистрант»  [Master's student] (as we are «студентки» [female students] or «магистрантки» [female Master's students], the plural female form from the singular: «студентка» and «магистрантка») is the one who’s always asked to do anything. We’re 22 people in the group, all of whom are young, strong and healthy, and yet he’s always the one who’s opening windows when the room is too hot, or closing them when it gets too cold. Whenever we need extra chairs, he has to get them on his own, no matter how many. When a professor needs help with anything, he or she will always ask him first, no matter what it is about, and never mind that another girl is the «староста» of our group. I find it funny sometimes, at other times I realize that living your whole life here and only seeing that – I mean, that men are in charge of anything or everything – can make any girl come to believe she is really the ‘weaker half’ of humanity.

I guess the old saying «всё в меру» could be applied to a case like this. Happy holiday everyone!

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