Victory Day

           May 9th is Victory Day in Russia. It's the day they pay tribute to the veterans and those lost in the Great Patriotic War, as it's called here. The term is not generally used outside the former Soviet Union. During this period 6.8 million Soviet soldiers were killed and 4.4 million died in captivity. The Soviet Union lost 26.6 million men and women in total, more than any other country in any single war in human history. I have heard and forgotten the statistic, but something like every 3 of 4 families lost someone in that war.
           In the morning there was a huge parade on Red Square with soldiers and army vehicles, etc. It was televised on TV, but not open to anyone except invited guests. In the afternoon the Square was open and after going through 3 sets of security checks (like airport scanners), one which needed to see our passports, we got onto the Square. There were huge structures with the dates emblazoned on them and people milling about    taking pictures.                                          

There were many fewer veterans than I had seen in 1994, but there were still lots of people giving flowers to them and expressing their appreciation.

Then we went over to Alexandrov Garden where the eternal flame is. There, people wait in line all day to place flowers at the flame. The gardens there are beautiful. Right now they are full of tulips and the fountains have been turned on for the season.

The morning had been grey dispelling the idea that they always shoot the clouds to stop the rain. There were a few showers, but the sun broke out just after we arrived and it became a beautiful day and an interesting experience.