On the night of June 21-22, as part of the Day of Remembrance and Mourning, Moscow will host two landmark events: "Memory Line" on the Crimean Embankment and "Memory Watch. Eternal Flame "in the Alexander Garden.
Memory Line action
The Memory Line action will take place from June 21 to 22 on the Crimean embankment. An installation of 1,418 candles will be created on the embankment, each of which symbolizes one day of the Great Patriotic War.
On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began, which lasted 1418 days. Every day of this terrible War is a symbol of mass heroism, courage and resilience shown by the people of Russia in the struggle against the German fascist invaders.
Cultural program Promotions:
- 19:00 - gathering of spectators;
- 20:00 - musical and drama performance "Let's Live";
- 21:30 - the official part. Solemn lighting of the first candle. The first candle is lit by a participant of the Great Patriotic War, the last one dedicated to the last Day of the war is the young great-grandson of the honored participant of the Great Patriotic War;
- 22:00 - lighting of all candles of the Memory Line;
- 22: 15–00: 00 - concert and theater program.
Anyone can join the action and light a candle in memory of one of the important days of the war for his family. Keepers of the Fire will be present at the site, who will tell visitors about those difficult times. The candles will be maintained by the Fire Keepers until midnight on June 23, that is, they will burn for more than a day.
Campaign “Watch of Memory. Eternal flame"
The action "Watch of Memory", which will be held in Moscow for the 26th time this year, will begin on June 22 at 03:00. Young men and women from youth associations, public organizations and patriotic clubs, together with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, will take part in the Action to remember the events of 1941, honor the memory of those who died for their Motherland and lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The laying will take place at the well-known time (thanks to the song to the words of Boris Kovynev and the music of Jerzy Petersburg's popular waltz "Blue Handkerchief"): "On June 22, exactly at 4 o'clock ...".
Points with audio broadcasting of military songs and screens showing military chronicles will be installed on the site. At four o'clock in the morning, the voice of Yuri Levitan will announce the beginning of the war. After laying flowers, the participants will honor the memory of the victims with a minute of silence.
Mom called at 6 am this morning. She said that the candle that she had lit at 3 in the morning had burned out. She could not sleep in excitement. She said that she remembered a lot, some of which she managed to write down. She asked to listen.
Further, the text literally ...
June 22, 2017 Four o'clock in the morning. I lit a memory candle and put it on the window. At this early hour, already back in 1941, fascist Germany, violating the treaty, interrupting the peaceful sleep of citizens, treacherously attacked my country. Tanks were walking on the ground, bombs were falling from the sky. The Great Patriotic War began. That night before the war, my father, a native of the Stavropol village of Severny, who served in the Far East, also slept peacefully in the barracks. In a dream, perhaps he saw his native village, mother, sister. He did not see his father in a dream, because does not remember him, because he, among other villagers, was hacked to death in a field by the whites in 1918 - there was a civil war. Was it red? - What red was it? He returned wounded from the First World War, he had a family and children. At the front, he dreamed of peace, home, land, but when he returned wounded, he fell into the millstones of the civil war and died at the age of 26, leaving his four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son, my father.
The family, in the absence of a breadwinner, went through very difficult years, and in 1941 my father had to return from service. But the Great Patriotic War began, and he was transferred from the Far East to the front, was a signalman. During the battles at Stalingrad, he was seriously wounded, spent 11 months in the hospital, survived and went back to the front from the hospital, ending the war in Konigsberg (Kaliningrad), but only in the fall of 1945 returned to his native village of Severnoye, where he had not been for 7 years. He did not like to remember the war, these memories were too heavy, and the injury made itself felt. The father died in 1980, when his grandson, whom he loved very much, was 5 years old. The war caught up with him, and he did not see how his grandson grew up, how he grew up. When the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad was celebrated, my son, his grandson, was in Volgograd, walking on the land that his grandfather defended, where his grandfather was seriously wounded and miraculously survived by his mother's prayers. The son experienced an inexpressible feeling then, as if he himself participated in those battles with his grandfather!
And my grandfather on my mother’s side was also called to the front at the age of 45, was an orderly, rescued the wounded, went through the entire war without being injured and lived for 95 years! He remembered with great love and warmth his front commander Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, at feasts he sang a song: "I will sing you a song about the service about my ..." and cried at my memories.
Yesterday I watched the third episode of the film "Putin". One of the dialogues between journalist Oliver Stone and our President was about relations between Russia and the United States. They showed NATO military bases located along the border of our country. What were these bases for? Allegedly, to protect the countries, members of NATO, from the worldview of the USSR. But at the present time there is no danger of the transfer of revolution, godlessness, communism emanating from the Bolsheviks. In the film, there were words about the possibility of a preventive missile strike on Russia, that the first strike will be struck at military targets, the retaliatory missiles will be destroyed, and the second strike will be on the cities. It was wild to hear.
I remember the Gospel text, when the Jews grabbed stones and wanted to beat Jesus Christ, who performed many miracles and healings, and He said: "Many good deeds have I shown you from My Father, for which of them do you want to beat Me?" (John 10:32). And so I want to ask: "Why do you want to kill us?" Maybe because at the incredible cost of the lives of 27 million people who died and died during the war, we defended our country and liberated mankind from fascism? Or for the fact that instead of the men who went to the front, women and teenagers worked at the machines, for overcoming the blockade of Leningrad, which lasted 900 days and took the lives of more than a million people? Or for the fact that the country's economy was restored by incredible efforts, selfless labor of the entire people in an incredibly short time, and we went further forward? The first to launch an artificial earth satellite, the first to fly into space was our Soviet man, the first to go into space was also our man. Or for the fact that in 1991 the USSR collapsed and the existing economic ties between the republics were destroyed and, therefore, the economy of all republics was destroyed? Or for the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and the disintegration of this country into several countries? Or for Desert Storm and the deaths of several hundred thousand people in Iraq? Or for the "color" revolutions in the Middle East, in Ukraine, leading to chaos, war, devastation? Or for the deployment of a missile defense system on the territory of Bulgaria, which we liberated twice from enemies?
I stand at the window in front of a lighted candle and remember my grandfather, father and thank them and everyone who defended our country and humanity from fascism. Day is breaking. An airplane flew high in the sky, a trace from it is visible and a sound is heard - the city noise has not yet drowned it out. Peaceful plane. In the open window one can hear the singing of birds, one can even hear the nightingales that have appeared in our yard this year. It was just as light, the birds were singing in that distant 1941 ... And I, who was born in the post-war 1947, just turned 70 years old, and I celebrated my anniversary with family and friends. I was able to note. I dream that my son and grandchildren will celebrate the same anniversary.
This lighted candle by the window is not only my memory of the war, of my loved ones, of all the people, at the front and in the rear, who defended our country from the enemy, not only my gratitude to them, it is also my dream, faith and hope of a peaceful sky above my country ... Give, Lord. "
Today is June 22: Day of Remembrance and Sorrow. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War. June 22, 1941 is one of the saddest dates in our history, the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. This day reminds us of all those killed, tortured to death in Nazi captivity, who died in the rear from hunger and hardship. Until 1992, the day of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War was not an official memorable date. By the resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation dated July 13, 1992, this day was declared the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of the Fatherland. By the decree of the President of Russia dated June 8, 1996, June 22 - the day of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War - was declared the Day of Memory and Mourning. On this day, the state flags of the Russian Federation are lowered in the country. Cultural institutions, television channels and radio stations are advised not to include entertainment events and programs in the program on this day. We remember the glorious defenders of the Motherland, who defended their native land, we are proud of courage, heroism, steadfastness of soldiers, officers, dedication of home front workers - women, old people, children. We bow our heads low before all the lost. Eternal memory to the heroes!
At 4 o'clock in the morning on June 22, 1941, after massive artillery and air preparation, German troops crossed the border of the USSR, and at 05:30 Adolf Hitler announced the beginning of the war between the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. The Soviet troops were taken by surprise. This is how the Great Patriotic War began - a tragedy that lasted 1418 days and nights. The sacrifice made by the peoples of the USSR must forever remain in the memory of mankind. According to statistics of 1998, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, the total irrecoverable losses of the Red (Soviet) Army amounted to 11,944,100 people, including 6,885,000 people died, missing, 4,559,000 captured. In total, the Soviet Union lost 26,600 000 citizens. Among the victims of the war, 13.7 million people are civilians, of whom 7.4 million were deliberately exterminated by the occupiers, 2.2 million died in jobs in Germany, and 4.1 million died of starvation during the occupation. During the war years in the USSR, 1,710 cities were destroyed, more than 70 thousand villages, 32 thousand factories and plants, 98 thousand collective farms were plundered. The Red Army men and commanders everywhere showed mass heroism, however, without ammunition, fortifications, aviation and artillery cover, our troops were forced to retreat from the border, suffering millions of losses. In the first months of the war, the Wehrmacht managed to practically bleed the Soviet cadre army. Only our people could withstand such a blow. Almost no one in Washington and London doubted that the Soviet Union was doomed. The US Ambassador to Moscow reported to Washington that the USSR would fall within a week. The Minister of War predicted that Moscow would fall within one - three months maximum. However, these predictions were not destined to come true. The country began to implement a program of emergency measures under the motto: “Everything for the front! Everything for the victory! " All the forces of the people - to defeat the enemy! By stubborn resistance, not sparing their lives, the soldiers of the Red Army bled the advancing Wehrmacht and destroyed the plans of the German command. Our cause is right. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours. Forward to our victory!
On June 22, the Day of Sorrow, let us recall those heroes who fought with the enemy and, despite the defeats of the first days, brought Victory Day closer. Also, let's not forget that in those years, representatives of all Soviet republics marched in the same ranks. So this Day of Sorrow is common for millions of people, although they are now separated by borders.
Day of Remembrance and Mourning in 2020 is celebrated on June 22. This is a memorable date for Russia. The holiday is timed to coincide with the start of the Great Patriotic War (WWII). In 2020, it is officially held in the Russian Federation for the 25th time. The first persons of the state, war veterans, relatives of fallen soldiers, people who are not indifferent to the events of the war, youth and charitable organizations participate in the commemorative events.
The purpose of the holiday is to honor the heroism of the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War.
history of the holiday
The Day of Remembrance and Mourning was established by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation B. Yeltsin dated June 8, 1996 No. 857. Prior to that, June 22 was declared the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of the Fatherland, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation of July 13, 1992. In 2007, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow became a memorable date in Russia.
The date of the holiday is timed to coincide with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. On June 22, 1941, at 4 a.m., Nazi troops invaded the territory of the USSR.
Holiday traditions
On the Day of Memory and Mourning, state flags are lowered in Russia. Wreath-laying ceremonies are held at the memorials of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Minutes of silence are announced. The Russian President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.
Memorial services for those who died during the Second World War are held in the churches.
An all-Russian patriotic action “Watch of memory. Eternal flame". Participants light the Candle of Memory to pay tribute to the heroism of the Great Patriotic War soldiers. The events “Candle of memory on June 22 - a candle of memory on my window”, “Memory line” are being held. On the eve of the holiday, an action "Train of Memory" is held. The train with World War II veterans and youth organizations follows the route "Moscow-Minsk-Brest". On June 22, passengers of the train take part in a requiem rally "Let us bow to those great years" in the Brest Fortress. They light candles from the Eternal Flame and lower them into the Bug River.
Charitable foundations raise money to help the participants in the hostilities. Thematic history lessons are held in schools. Young people meet with war veterans.
Exhibitions of military equipment are being arranged. Military song concerts are organized. Open-air cinemas broadcast films about the war. TV channels and radio stations are removing entertainment programs from the air.
- As a result of the Great Patriotic War, the USSR lost 26.6 million people. 4-5 million were taken prisoner by the Nazis.
Romania, Italy, and a few days later Slovakia, Finland, Hungary and Norway.
The Soviet people responded to the enemy with a single mighty resistance, stood in the full sense of the word to death, defending the fatherland.
A severe bloody war, which lasted 1418 days and nights, ended on May 9, 1945 with the complete defeat of the countries of the fascist bloc.
The total human losses of the USSR during the war amounted to 26.6 million people.
Of these, more than 8.7 million died on the battlefields, 7.42 million people were deliberately in the occupied territories, more than 4.1 million died from the brutal conditions of the occupation regime. 5.27 million people were driven off to hard labor in Germany and neighboring countries, which were also under German occupation. A little more than half of them returned to their homeland - 2.65 million people, 450 thousand immigrated, 2.16 million people died and died in captivity.
Until 1992, the day of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War was not an official memorable date. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation dated July 13, 1992, this day was declared the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of the Fatherland.
By the decree of the President of Russia of June 8, 1996, June 22 was declared the Day of Memory and Mourning.
On October 24, 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed amendments to the law "On Days of Military Glory and Memorable Dates of Russia", which included a new - June 22 - Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, the day of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (1941) into the list of memorable dates.
On June 22, in memory of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, state flags are lowered on the territory of Russia. In cultural institutions, on television and radio, entertainment events and programs are canceled throughout the day.
On this day, the country's leaders lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.
Traditionally, in the Brest Fortress on the Ceremonial Square of the memorial complex on June 22 at four o'clock in the morning a requiem rally "Let us bow to those great years" begins, in which the passengers of the "Train of Memory" take part. Every year in the waters of the Bug River, young people who lit the memorial from the Eternal Flame.
Since 1996, an open patriotic action "Memory Watch. Eternal Flame" has been held annually in the center of Moscow near the Eternal Flame in the Alexandrovsky Garden in memory of the millions who died in the Great Patriotic War.
In 2015, the action "Watch of Memory. Eternal Flame-2015" became officially all-Russian and was held according to a single standard in the hero cities and cities of military glory.
In 2009, the "Alley of Memory" was opened on Vorobyovy Hills in Moscow, where on June 22 at 4:00, young people, together with veterans in memory of the dead, tie bells on tree branches so that their ringing reminds of the price at which Victory was won.
On this day, since 2009, the memorial action "Candle of memory on June 22 - a candle of memory on my window" has been held annually. More than 1200 cities and towns in Russia.
Since 2015, the "Memory Line" campaign has been held in Moscow, during which people with burning candles in their hands.
In 2016, as part of this action, 1,418 candles were lit to honor the memory of the victims of the Great Patriotic War.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources