Each country, each people has its own main holiday, which is celebrated annually for a long time. He unites the nation with a sense of pride in the valiant feats of his ancestors, who will remain in the memory of descendants forever. There is such a holiday in Russia. This is Victory Day, which is celebrated on May 9.
A bit of history
The Great Patriotic War began on June 22, 1941 and lasted a long 4 years. Soviet people suffered much during the years of fascist occupation, but still they won. People paved the way for Victory Day with their own hands. Only thanks to his dedicated work and military merits, the Soviet Union was able to win this war, although it was not easy to do.
The final spurt was very long and difficult, which led to the end of hostilities with Germany. Soviet troops began to advance in the region of Poland and Prussia in January 1945. The Allies did not lag behind. They advanced rapidly to Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. According to many historians of that and present time, Hitler's suicide on April 20, 1945, predetermined the complete defeat of Germany.
But the death of the mentor and leader did not stop the Nazi troops. The bloody battle for Berlin, however, led to the fact that the Soviet Union and the Allies defeated the Nazis. Victory Day is a tribute to the heavy price paid by the ancestors of many of us. Hundreds of thousands of people killed on either side - only after that did the German capital surrender. It happened on May 7, 1945, that significant day was remembered for a long time by contemporaries.
Victory Price
About 2.5 million soldiers were involved in the storming of Berlin. The losses of the Soviet Army were huge. According to some reports, our army lost up to 15 thousand people a day. In the battle of Berlin killed 325 thousand officers and soldiers. There was a real bloody war. Victory Day - it was still the day, the first celebration of which was just around the corner.
Since the fighting was within the city limits, Soviet tanks could not maneuver widely. It was only in the hands of the Germans. They used anti-tank weapons to destroy military equipment. In a matter of weeks, the Berlin Army was lost by the Soviet Army:
- 1997 tanks;
- over 2000 guns;
- about 900 aircraft.
Despite the enormous losses in this battle, our troops defeated the enemies. The Day of the Great Victory over the Nazis was also marked by the fact that about half a million German soldiers were captured in this battle. The enemy suffered heavy losses. Soviet troops destroyed a huge number of German units, namely:
- 12 tank;
- 70 infantry;
- 11 motorized divisions.
Human losses
According to the main sources, about 26.6 million people died in the Great Patriotic War. This amount is determined by the method of demographic balance. This number includes:
- Killed as a result of military and other actions of the enemy.
- Persons who left the USSR during the war, as well as those who did not return after its end.
- Died due to increased mortality during hostilities in the rear and in the occupied territory.
As for the gender of the deceased and dead people during the Second World War, most of them are men. The total number is 20 million people.
Public Holiday
Kalinin signed a decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR that May 9 - Victory Day is a public holiday. It was declared a day off. At 6 a.m. Moscow time, this decree was read out on the radio by a famous speaker throughout the country - Levitan. On the same day, a plane landed on Red Square in Moscow, which delivered the act of surrender to Germany.
Celebrating the first Victory Day
In the evening in Moscow they gave the Victory Salute - the largest in the history of the USSR. Of the thousands of guns, 30 volleys were fired. For the first festival dedicated to Victory Day, long prepared. The holiday was celebrated like no other in the Soviet Union. People on the streets hugged and cried, congratulated each other on the victory.
On June 24, the first military parade took place on Red Square. Marshal Zhukov accepted it. He commanded the Rokossovsky parade. The Red Fronts marched through the regiments of the following fronts:
- Leningradsky;
- Belarusian;
- Ukrainian;
- Karelian.
Also in the square was the combined regiment of the Navy. Ahead were the commanders and Heroes of the Soviet Union, carrying flags and banners of military units that distinguished themselves in battles.
At the end of the military parade on Red Square, Victory Day was marked by the fact that two hundred banners of defeated Germany were carried and thrown at the Mausoleum. Only after the lapse of time a military parade began to be held on Victory Day - May 9.
Period of oblivion
The leadership of the country after the war decided that the Soviet people, tired of fighting and bloodshed, should forget those events a little. And oddly enough, but the custom to celebrate such an important holiday on a grand scale did not last long. In 1947, a new scenario for the Victory Day was introduced by the country's leadership: it was completely canceled, and on May 9 it was recognized as an ordinary working day. Accordingly, all the festivities and military parades were not held.
In 1965, the year of the 20th anniversary, Victory Day (May 9) was restored to its rights and again recognized as a national holiday. Many regions of the Soviet Union held their own parades. And this day ended with a salute familiar to all.
Soon followed the collapse of the USSR, which led to the emergence of various conflicts, including on political issues. In 1995, the full celebration of Victory Day was resumed in Russia. In the same year, as many as 2 parades took place in Moscow. One was on foot and passed on Red Square. And the second was carried out using armored vehicles, and observed it on Poklonnaya Hill.
The official part of the holiday is traditionally held. Victory Day sounds - words of congratulations, followed by the laying of wreaths and flowers at the monuments and memorials of the Great Patriotic War and the obligatory evening fireworks crown the festival.
Victory Day
In our country there is no more touching, tragic and at the same time glorious holiday than Victory Day. It is still celebrated annually on May 9th. No matter how the facts of our history have changed in recent years, this day remains a beloved one by all, an expensive and bright holiday.
On May 9, millions of people recall how their grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought, not sparing their lives, with enemies who decided to conquer the Soviet Union. They recall those who worked hard at factories that produce equipment and weapons for the military. People were starving, but held on, because they understood that the future victory over the fascist invaders depends only on their actions. It is these people who won the war, and thanks to their generation today we live under a peaceful sky.
How is Victory Day celebrated in Russia?
Rallies and demonstrations take place on this day. Flowers and wreaths are laid at the monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Veterans and participants of those distant and at the same time such close events are honored. In general, the same scenario always awaits us on this day. On Victory Day, in many countries, noisy parties are not arranged; in the evenings, firecrackers do not explode. But this date enters the young hearts of Russians with shots of black and white newsreels about that time, taking in their souls songs about the cramped dugout, the front-line path and the soldier Alyosha forever frozen over the mountain.
May 9 is a holiday of the proud victorious people. 70 years have passed since the first celebration of Victory Day. But still this date is sacred for every Russian person. After all, there is not a single family that would not be affected by the grief of loss. Millions of soldiers went to the front, thousands of people remained to work in the rear. All the people rose to defend the Fatherland, and he managed to defend the right to peaceful life.
Invariable attribute of the Victory Day holiday
Over the years, the holiday acquired its own traditions. In 1965, a banner was handed out at a parade dedicated to a great date. It remained the same attribute of the holiday, which symbolized Victory Day. This banner is extremely significant today: parades are still full of red banners. Since 1965, the original attribute of Victory was replaced with a copy. The first banner can be seen in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Also the unchanging colors that accompanied May 9 were black and yellow - symbols of smoke and flame. Since 2005, the St. George ribbon has been a constant reflection of gratitude for peace and respect for veterans.
Heroes are the winners
Every year Russia celebrates a peaceful spring. Unfortunately, only front-line wounds, time and illnesses are inexorable. To date, only one out of every hundred winners in the Great Patriotic War has survived. And this is a very sad statistic, especially for those who were born only after they began to celebrate Victory Day. Veterans are our grandfathers and great-grandfathers who still remember those war years. They need to be treated with special attention and honor. After all, it was they who made it so that the sky above our heads became and remains peaceful.
Time refers ruthlessly to everyone, even to the valiant heroes of a harsh war. Year after year, the participants in those terrible events are getting smaller. But they, as before, go out with orders and medals on their chests. Veterans meet each other, remember the old days, commemorate friends and relatives who died in those years. Elderly people visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Eternal Flame. They travel to places of military glory, visit the graves of comrades who have not survived to our bright days. We must not forget about the significance of the exploits that they have in relation to each individual fate and to world history in general. A little more time will pass, and there will be no witnesses and participants in that bloody war at all. Therefore, it is important to be very sensitive to this date - May 9th.
Remember our ancestors
The main wealth of every human soul is the memory of the ancestors. Indeed, in order for us to live and be as we are, many generations of people created our society. They made life the way we know it.
The memory of the departed is priceless. The heroism of the victors of World War II cannot be appreciated. We do not know all these great people by name. But what they have done cannot be measured by any material good. Even without knowing the names, our generation remembers them not only on Victory Day. We say thanks every day for our peaceful existence. The largest number of flowers - a pronounced testimony of popular memory and worship - is precisely at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Here the Eternal flame always burns, as if saying that although the names remain unknown, the feat of man is immortal.
All who fought in the Great Patriotic War did not fight for their well-being. People fought for the independence and freedom of their homeland. These heroes are immortal. And we know that a person is alive as long as they remember him.
Monuments dedicated to Victory Day
The Second World War left a huge and unforgettable mark in the history of our country. For 70 years now, we annually remember this great May. Victory Day is a special holiday to honor the memory of the dead. In the vastness of Russia there are a lot of memorials dedicated to victory in the Great Patriotic War. And all the monuments are different. There are imperceptible obelisks in small villages, and huge monuments in large cities.
Here are some famous buildings around the country and the world dedicated to the soldiers of the Second World War:
- Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow.
- Mamaev Kurgan in Volgograd.
- Heroes Square in Novorossiysk.
- Alley of Heroes in St. Petersburg.
- The eternal flame of Glory in Novgorod.
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and much more.
