Today is May Day, which is a widely celebrated holiday here in Russia with workers taking 2 days off, enjoying time at their dachas, having barbecues, parades, and generally enjoying their official beginning of Spring after a long winter. In addition to Spring, it is their Labor Day.
Naturally being in Russia, there was at least one small political demonstration going on. We took the kids and walked toward the square thinking we were going to see a parade, but soon realized we were way early. There were at least hundred police officers (seriously) surrounding the main square and very few people. The only reason they let us in the square was because we were with children, so said the guard. Russians favor children, which is a good thing. At the end of the square (all Russian cities have huge squares), there was a communist rally. The kids quickly became bored with that and probably with us telling them to be quiet and not to speak loudly in English, but we found it very interesting. There was a man holding up a picture of Lenin and one holding a picture of Stalin. They were shouting chants of returning back to Socialism and booing capitalism and wishing for times when their apartments were given to them, and they didn't have to pay for their own electricity. Most of the small crowd appeared over the age of 65.
It was a strange experience, yet thankfully this was only the beginning of our day. After feeling completely paranoid at being surrounded by the watching eyes of the police officers, we decided to grab the kids' bikes and go bike riding in the park. At this point we also saw the parade from the bottom of the hill and realized we had just missed it. The park painted a completely different picture of May Day. People were sitting around park benches with their juice, beer, and sandwiches visiting. Parents were walking around with kids buying ice cream and balloons, playing in the park, and generally enjoying themselves. Even though jackets and coats can still be seen, Spring arrived today in the minds of the Russians.
Naturally being in Russia, there was at least one small political demonstration going on. We took the kids and walked toward the square thinking we were going to see a parade, but soon realized we were way early. There were at least hundred police officers (seriously) surrounding the main square and very few people. The only reason they let us in the square was because we were with children, so said the guard. Russians favor children, which is a good thing. At the end of the square (all Russian cities have huge squares), there was a communist rally. The kids quickly became bored with that and probably with us telling them to be quiet and not to speak loudly in English, but we found it very interesting. There was a man holding up a picture of Lenin and one holding a picture of Stalin. They were shouting chants of returning back to Socialism and booing capitalism and wishing for times when their apartments were given to them, and they didn't have to pay for their own electricity. Most of the small crowd appeared over the age of 65.
It was a strange experience, yet thankfully this was only the beginning of our day. After feeling completely paranoid at being surrounded by the watching eyes of the police officers, we decided to grab the kids' bikes and go bike riding in the park. At this point we also saw the parade from the bottom of the hill and realized we had just missed it. The park painted a completely different picture of May Day. People were sitting around park benches with their juice, beer, and sandwiches visiting. Parents were walking around with kids buying ice cream and balloons, playing in the park, and generally enjoying themselves. Even though jackets and coats can still be seen, Spring arrived today in the minds of the Russians.
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| watching the soldiers walk through park |
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