The program of the 19th festival of youth and students in Moscow and Sochi has recently completed. And this means that it is time to remind the history of the festival to those who are already familiar with it, and to fill the knowledge gaps among those who have not heard anything about it.
How it all began?
In the fall of 1945, the World Conference of Democratic Youth was held in London, where they adopted a resolution on the creation of the World Federation of Democratic Youth.
The purpose of the organization was to promote mutual understanding of young people on various issues, as well as ensuring security and upholding the rights of youth. It was also decided to annually celebrate World Youth Day on November 10th.
Almost a year later, in August 1946, the 1st World Student Congress was convened in Prague, at which the International Student Union (MCC) was created, declaring the goals of the struggle for peace, social progress and student rights as its goals. It was under the auspices of the WFDM and the MSS that the very first festival of youth and students in the Czech Republic took place.
Promising start
17 thousand participants from 71 countries came to the festival in Prague.
The main theme was the continuation of the struggle against fascism and the need to unite all countries for this. Of course, the results of the Second World War were also discussed, the question of preserving the memory of people whose lives were given in the name of victory.
The emblem of the festival depicted two people, black and white, their handshake against a globe symbolized the unity of the youth of all countries, regardless of nationality, in the fight against major world problems.
The delegates of all countries prepared stands telling about the restoration of cities after the war and about the activities of the WFDM in their country. The Soviet stand was different from the rest. Most of it was occupied with information about Joseph Stalin, about the constitution of the USSR, about the contribution of the Soviet Union to the victory in the war and the fight against fascism.
At numerous conferences within the framework of the festival, the role of the Soviet Union in the victory won recently was emphasized, the country was talked with respect and gratitude.
Chronology
The World Festival of Youth and Students was initially held every 2 years, but soon the break increased to several years.
Recall the chronology of its implementation:
- Prague, Czechoslovakia - 1947
- Hungary, Budapest - 1949
- East Germany, Berlin - 1951
- Romania, Bucharest - 1953
- Poland, Warsaw - 1955
- USSR, Moscow - 1957
- Austria, Vienna - 1959
- Finland, Helsinki - 1962
- Bulgaria, Sofia - 1968
- East Germany, Berlin - 1973
- Cuba, Havana - 1978
- USSR, Moscow - 1985
- Korea, Pyongyang - 1989
- Cuba, Havana - 1997
- Algeria, Algeria - 2001
- Venezuela, Caracas - 2005
- South Africa, Pretoria - 2010
- Ecuador, Quito - 2013
- Russia, Moscow - 2017
For the first time in the USSR
The first Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow was held in 1957. It gathered 34, 000 participants from 131 countries. So many delegates are still unsurpassed.
The country rejoiced at the opening of the Iron Curtain, the entire Soviet Union and the capital carefully prepared for the festival:
- new hotels were built in Moscow;
- broke the park "Friendship";
- on the Central Television was created "Festival Edition", which released several programs called "Evening of Happy Questions" (the prototype of modern KVN).
The slogan of the festival "For Peace and Friendship" reflected its atmosphere and mood. Many speeches were made about the need for the independence of peoples and the propaganda of internationalism. The symbol of the Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow in 1957 was the famous "Dove of Peace".
Interesting facts about the VI festival
The first Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow was remembered not only for its scale, but also for a number of very interesting facts:
- Moscow was covered by a real "sexual revolution." Young girls readily got acquainted with foreign guests, made fleeting novels with them. Entire squads were created to combat this phenomenon. They drove to Moscow streets at night and caught such pairs. They didn’t touch the foreigners, but the Soviet young ladies had a hard time: the combatants cut off part of their hair with scissors or clippers so that the girls had no choice but to cut their hair. Nine months after the festival, black citizens of the Soviet Union began to appear. They were called so - "Children of the Festival".
- At the closing ceremony, the song "Moscow Nights" was sung, it was performed by Edita Pieha and Marisa Liepa. Many foreigners still associate Russia with this very composition.
- As one of the journalists who came to Moscow then noted, Soviet citizens did not want to let foreigners into their homes (he believed that their authorities had instructed them this way), but Muscovites spoke with them very willingly on the streets.
Twelfth or second
The twelfth overall, and the second in Moscow, the Youth and Student Festival was held in 1985. In addition to the participants (there were 26, 000 of them from 157 countries), many famous people took part in the festival:
- Mikhail Gorbachev spoke at the opening; "race of the world" was opened by the chairman of the Olympic Committee Samaranch;
- Anatoly Karpov showed skill playing chess on a thousand boards simultaneously;
- German musician Udo Lindenberg performed at music venues.
Not that one anymore?
Such freedom of speech, as in 1957, was no longer observed. According to the party’s recommendations, all discussions should have come down to a certain range of issues that are spelled out in the document. They tried to avoid provocative questions, or accused the speaker of incompetence. However, most of the participants in the Festival did not come at all for political discussions, but for the sake of communicating with delegates from other countries and making new friends.
The closing ceremony of the Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow was held at the Lenin Stadium (the current Luzhniki Stadium). In addition to the speeches of delegates and political figures from different countries, famous and popular artists performed before the participants, for example, Valery Leontyev presented their songs, scenes from the Swan Lake performed by the Bolshoi Theater troupe were shown.
Nineteenth or third
In 2015, it became known that the festival of 2017 will be hosted by Russia for the third time (although, to be precise, Russia accepts it for the first time, because the previous two times the host country was the USSR).
On June 7, 2016, the cities where the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students - Moscow and Sochi will be held were named.
In Russia, as always, zealously began to prepare for the upcoming event. In October 2016, a clock was set in front of the Moscow State University building, counting the days before the start of the Festival. For this event, the delivery of the TRP standards, the presentation of world cuisines, a concert with the participation of Russian stars was timed. Similar events were held not only in Moscow, but also in many other cities.
The opening of the Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow. The carnival parade started from Vasilievsky descent and walked 8 km to the Luzhniki sports complex, where a grandiose concert was held with the participation of modern Russian pop stars. The end of the holiday was a big fireworks, which lasted 15 minutes.
The grand opening took place in Sochi, where artists and speakers of the festival also performed.
