Watching the Victory Day Parade

and watching people watch the victory Day Parade.  Most of the children were perched on shoulders or atop large wooden cable spools.  Almost everyone had a camera, ipod, ipad, cell phone or some such electronic recording device.  The balconies on the building opposite from us were full.  Many people had arms full of red flowers, tulips, carnations and roses.  There were black and orange St. George's ribbons everywhere.

When the parade began we could hear and feel and smell, as well as see the vehicles roll by.  There were tanks, personnel carriers and missile launchers.  Another contrast to an American parade was the parade participants.  There were no bands, marchers, horses, clowns, shriners, fire engines, soldiers, or candy throwers.  In the ceremony in Red Square, to which one needed an invitation, there was marching and veterans.  Now, American parade organizers could certainly take notes on the following speed of the vehicles.  Once the parade started, the vehicles sped by with a consistent space between vehicles, no dilly dallying here!

The Second World War is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.  Depending on whose numbers you read some 20 million to 31 million Soviet lives were lost during WWII.  Although Germany and the USSR started out as allies, Hitler soon betrayed Stalin.  Although prior to the war, Stalin's purges had divided the country, the war brought the people together and (rose) colored the past.

Victory Day is celebrated May 9th in Russia to mark the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in WWII.  May 8th is known in the West as Victory in Europe Day, but is celebrated on the 9th of May in former Soviet states because the signing occurred after midnight Moscow time.