The Epiphany – one of the twelve main Orthodox holidays – is celebrated by Russian Orthodox Church and believers throughout the country. Churches bless the waters and the more valiant take a dive into holes in the ice. Russia Today reports on the Epiphany celebrations.
YouTube – Russians celebrate Epiphany.
Here are some photos from Victory Day 2008 in St. Petersburg. These are photos of the parade on Nevsky Prospect. Thanks to Jarod Zartman for sharing these photos.
Photos of Victory Day 2008 in Moscow. These are just a few of the many great photos of Victory Day available on Flickr.
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Originally posted by: ucouldguess
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Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the victory over Germany in World War II. In Russia, the war is known as the Great Patriotic War, and May 9th is still one of the biggest holidays of the year. Russia today has English language coverage of this morning’s Victory Day parade on Red Square. Watch the full video with English commentary and read about the event on the Russia Today website.
Military parade on Red Square – full version (68 min)
Update: Russia Today has posted a lot of great video covering this year’s Victory Day and the history of the Great Patriotic War. Here are some highlights.
History of Great Patriotic War
Russia celebrates WW2 victory
U.S. uncertain about WW2 history
A Victory Day report from America with a Russian perspective.
With May Day approaching, we bring you a collection of Soviet May Day postcards. These are great examples of soviet art and we hope you will enjoy them. These were originally posed to Flickr by iwasayeyeman.
Here’s a small collection of videos and photos posted by internet users on Victory Day 2007.
Russian National Anthem sung by soldiers during the official Victory Day celebrations on Red Square. You can follow along with the lyrics.
Video from inside the cockpits of the jets that flew over the Red Square ceremony.
Veteran. Originally posted by Encinar.
Veteran. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.
Veterans marching in Victory Day parade. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.
Victory Day parade, Moscow, 9 May 2007. Originally posted by urbanpostings.
Stalin poster in Victory Day parade. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.
Marchers in Victory Day parade. Originally posted by Leonid V. Kroujkov.
Fire in the Sky. Originally posted by stranger in moskva.
Here is a short American news clip from 1961 covering the May 1st celebrations in both the Soviet Union and Cuba. While the clip shows little about the actual May Day events, it does provide examples of both American and Soviet Cold War propaganda.
According to the Itar-Tass news agency, more than 6 million Russians took part in Easter celebrations this year. President Putin and other government officials marked the holiday by attending ceremonies in Moscow. Putin also used the occasion to return the long-lost icon “Our Lady of Vladimir” to the Russian Patriarch. Putin declared that the state is determined to return as many stolen relics to the Russian Orthodox Church as possible as well as help rebuild churches and monasteries.
Link: Easter in a Russian Town (Photos)
Link: Putin hands long-lost icon to Orthodox patriarch, pledges to return more
Link: Orthodox and western faiths mark Easter
Link: More than 6 mln Russians taken part in Easter celebrations
A few weeks ago, Russians celebrated Maslenitsa or “Pancake week�. Yuri Timofeyev has published a wonderful series of photos from a Maslenitsa party in the forest near Moscow. Here are a few examples of the photos he took at the event. Make sure to view the entire series at Flickr.
Pancake carnival in a Moscow’s forest. Toboggan
Kitchen
Wall to wall fight
Winter incineration
Winter incineration
Link: Pancake carnival photos
