Melbourne, Australia

Shots and volleys of guns of the terrible revolution rang out, replacing the crimson ringing of bells, spilling over Mother Russia from forty forty churches. Streams of blood irrigated our Russian land, and a huge wave of people was splashed out of the maelstrom of the most cruel revolution-coup in different parts of the world. The Red Terror swept the whole country. The White movement heroically fought the new government to the last drop of blood and ended up in a foreign land, and even there, its heroes did not lose hope to gather strength and try to return Russia. But... alas!

The Russian people scattered all over the world. The ice campaign on Lake Baikal brought the remnants of the White Army to China (Manchuria), many traveled by rail through Siberia. Once outside of Russia, broken white army and the flow of people, exhausted by the hardships of retreat - cold and disease, were accepted by the Chinese government. During the retreat, many fell ill with typhus, many died.

Here is what my father Ignaty Volegov, an officer of the White Army, writes on the day when his regiment, retreating in the rearguard, was already approaching the border of China: “December 22, 1922 was a day of deep sadness for us. Not a single member of the Far Eastern Army will forget this day, and it cannot be forgotten by anyone who loves his homeland even a little. On this day, only he did not show his tears, who was ashamed of them and was afraid to show his weakness to others, and this endurance lay an unbearably heavy stone on the heart, which caused many to experience “shock”, numbness, which was expressed in silence.

The people from southern Russia and Ukraine went to Turkey, from there they scattered in countries such as Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, etc. From Estonia, Lithuania and Finland, refugees ended up in Germany, Persia, France, Argentina and even Australia. In total, there were from one to two million emigrants who left their homeland. But many, and my ancestors for sure, did not think that they left Russia forever. They hoped to return, naively hoping that the Bolshevik government would perish. But this did not happen.

And so, having remained in a foreign land, they began to create for themselves the image of a lost homeland. Longing for Russia, for Russian culture was unbearable. As early as 1924, Russian emigrants staged a concert in Riga with the title "Day of Russian Culture". These concerts, like fireflies on a world map, began to flash in different corners world, wherever the Russian people found themselves in dispersion. This is how the tradition of celebrating the Days of Russian Culture developed.

A terrible blow for the Russian Diaspora turned out to be a brutal murder Royal Family, innocent children and faithful servants in July 1918. This was an irreparable, irreparable loss for the entire Russian people. For Russian emigrants who were forced to leave their homeland after the revolution, it became clear that this murder foreshadowed the beginning of death. great Russia, its centuries-old culture, the Holy Orthodox Church and all the best that was created and existed in it. The seizure of power by the atheists-Bolsheviks in 1917 and the murder of the August Family once and for all determined the future of the exodus of Russian people from Russia and their further fate in dispersion. In essence, it was political emigration, or rather spiritual emigration, because these people could not accept and come to terms with the cruel persecution of the Orthodox Church in the person of its ministers and believing laity and everything that was sacred to them. The July tragedy of 1918, where their Royal parents were shot before the eyes of unfortunate children, became for the Russian people a symbol of the lost homeland, and this day is the Day of Sorrow for the entire Russian Diaspora. In all corners of the globe, where, by the will of fate, Russian exiles ended up, this day of universal sorrow was deeply honored.

Upon arrival in Australia, the “Harbinites” continued to preserve Russian culture and the sacred historical memory of pre-revolutionary Russia. In the big cities of Australia, where the Russians settled, Orthodox churches were being built right now, and in addition to traditional holidays, the Day of Sorrow was celebrated every year. On this mourning day, a strict fast was established throughout the Russian Diaspora, panikhidas were served in churches for the murdered Royal martyrs. After the service, the worshipers gathered in the halls or library at the church, where reports were read on the events of the revolutionary years in Russia and the brutal murder of the Royal Family.

For many decades, Russia Abroad has been celebrating the Day of Intransigence towards Bolshevism and Soviet power. This event was inherited from European emigration and in Melbourne it started in the 1950s. Various events were held, for example, reports, concerts of spiritual singing. The last Day of Intransigence took place on November 9, 1997 in Sydney at the initiative of the Russian Historical Society. At this meeting, a protest was expressed regarding the decision of B. N. Yeltsin - to consider November 7 a holiday - the Day of Reconciliation and Accord. The report on this meeting says: “The tragedy of Russia is our common pain, and we, both the “old” and “new” Russian emigrants, must understand that we have one destiny, and we all immigrants from Russia cannot agree that that Russia has been desecrated, depersonalized, robbed and on its knees!”

Russian people, bearing longing for the lost homeland, did not want to consign to oblivion great culture created multinational Russia. In 1927 already in twenty countries of the world the Day of Russian Culture was celebrated, and in 1938, in connection with the celebration of the 950th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, all over foreign Russia, including Australia, Vladimir committees were created in honor of the founder of Russian Orthodoxy and Russian statehood, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. Concerts, exhibitions, reports were held on a close date, on the day of St. Vladimir, which is celebrated by the Church on July 28.

It is worth mentioning the great people of art who gave their talent by performing at these concerts - S. Lifar, F. Chaliapin, Anna Pavlova, the famous artist Ivan Bilibin painted scenery for concerts, and many, many famous names brought their talents to the altar of art. Reports were read in the crowded halls of Paris, where Merezhkovsky, Gippius and many other writers spoke. S. Lifar held exhibitions. Celebrations sometimes lasted for many days. Information about such concerts tells us that they were held in Riga, Paris, Serbia, Harbin and here, in this prosperous country of Australia, we have been celebrating this holiday for many years, which unites everyone who loves and appreciates the spiritual, historical and cultural heritage of our country. We cherish this tradition to this day.

I had the honor of knowing a wonderful woman, Lyudmila Filippovna Bogdanova. It was a woman high culture. Humanitarian and technical talents not only coexisted in it, but were clearly manifested. She was originally from St. Petersburg, where she was educated as a civil engineer, while she knew literature very well, owned a brush and created many portraits and works of art in pencil and watercolor. In Australia, where she and her husband came with a wave of so-called displaced people, she began teaching at a Sunday church school from 1962 until 1993. As part of the curriculum, she staged 2 performances per year based on the works of Russian classics. The scenery was painted by Alexander Viktorovich Shmelts. Some of these decorations have survived to this day. Lyudmila Filippovna staged The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Vasilisa the Beautiful, Pinocchio, Turnip and many others. These performances introduced students to Russian literature through art. The second performance was always dedicated to the Day of Russian Culture. Thus, she became the founder of the celebration of the Day of Russian Culture in Melbourne (Australia).

My family and I came to Australia from China from Harbin in 1957, met Lyudmila Filippovna during her work at school and did not miss a single concert, dedicated to the Day Russian culture, which she held. She began the concert with a report. The topics of the reports were: A. N. Ostrovsky, A. S. Pushkin, A. A. Tolstoy, Vladimir the Red Sun, Mr. Veliky Novgorod, A. A. Akhmatova, Musorsky and his time, the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, etc. After report was concert program. Well-known performers performed. The famous Harbin ballerina Nina Nezdvetskaya, who received the title of professor in Australia, was often seen on stage. Her teaching at the Australian Ballet was highly acclaimed. Wonderful performers sang - Vera Vinogradova, a performer of Russian and gypsy romances. She captivated the audience with her manner of performance and unusually beautiful voice. Vladimir Brzhozovsky, the owner of the baritone, performed, the audience liked the wonderful Opera singer Vyacheslav Ilyich Baranovich and his constant accompanist Valentina Vladimirovna Baranovich, Sonya Bantos, Ella Stoyanova, Igor Perekrestov, Alexander Vinogradov and many others.

It is impossible not to recall the head of the string orchestra Dyakovsky Vadim Mikhailovich, who collaborated with Lyudmila Filippovna. I would also like to remember the founder of the string orchestra in Melbourne, Pavlov, and the head of the choir, Petr Petrovich Ivanenko. Nikolai Nikolaevich Klyucharev and Maria Stepanovna Stefani, both professional directors, staged many performances with the participation of professional actors and young artists with whom they worked and created a worthy theater group.

Over the years, when the hall at the church stopped accommodating everyone and it was necessary to look for a new room, Lyudmila Filippovna ended her activity for health reasons. To celebrate the Day of Russian Culture, they chose the Renaissance room - this is a small cozy theater, and Sonya Bantos (Sofia Terentyevna, nee Mikryukova) began to hold concerts. The concerts conducted by Sonya Bantos were dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the birth of M. Yu. Lermontov, the 135th anniversary of the birth of A.P. Chekhov, one of the concerts was marked by the performance-concert “Thinking about Russia”.

From 1996 until 2012 I have been celebrating the Days of Russian Culture. They usually took place in the prestigious Melba Holl of the Melbourne University Conservatory, and each of the holidays we devoted to writers, poets, composers or anniversaries, such as the 850th anniversary of Moscow, the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the anniversary of Miklukha Maclay. Concerts were dedicated to Glinka and Tchaikovsky, Pushkin and Lermontov, Tyutchev and Dostoevsky, Gogol and Dahl, Saltykov-Shchedrin and Rubtsov, A.P. Chekhov and poets from abroad. Talented and honored artists and the young beginning generation performed in all concerts.

This holiday allows us to vividly display the numerous talents of our compatriots and provides an opportunity to open up a new generation of young talents. I thought that to perform in the concerts of the Day of Russian Culture, it is not necessary to be ethnically Russian. People of any nationality who love Russian culture deserve to perform at this concert. Looking into history and remembering our poets, writers, thinkers, we are faced with the fact that Pushkin, Lermontov, Dostoevsky, Nadson, Gogol, Dal and many others were not purebred Russians, but they were the creators of Russian culture. Old Russia received foreigners such as Rastrelli, Benois, Cameron, Rossi, Feberge and others who made a great contribution to the development of Russian culture.

One of the concerts was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Russian presence in Australia. The concert was called "The Feast of the Russian Soul". The thematic assignment of the Day of Russian Culture was reflected in the concert program. The main point of it was the report of the doctor of historical sciences, miter archpriest Mikhail Protopopov. It consistently outlined the historical facts of Russian-Australian contacts over the course of 200 years and made an extensive overview of the valuable and new things that the Russian people brought to all areas of Australian life, including science, technology, medicine, culture, and the spiritual sphere.

Base and special decoration holiday concert there was a performance by a male guest invited from Russia vocal ensemble"Balaam". Gifted Russian singers generously gave joy, their excellent singing deeply revealed the character of the Russian soul, gave rise to an emotional response in the hearts of grateful listeners. Twice at the celebration of the "Day of Russian Culture" the group "Cavalier duet" performed, bringing a lot of joy to the audience gathered for the concert.

It should be noted that talented performers of different genres took part in all the concerts that I held. Reports were usually read by Archpriest I. Filyanovskiy, Candidate of Theology, Professor O. A. Donskikh, I. Kuzminskaya, Archpriest Mikhail Protopopov, art critic Nina Makarova, Doctor of Philosophy, Archpriest Nikolai Korypov, and many others.

Talented musicians and vocalists, Honored Artist of Russia Emma Lippa, balalaika virtuoso Y. Mugerman and Bella Mugerman, Olga Vakusevich, Liza Petrova, Katya Pronina, Larisa Khranovskaya, Dimitri Pronin, Sonya Bantos, Honored Artist of Russia Alexander Vengerovsky, Honored Artist of Russia Leonid Satanovsky, Maya Menglet, Female chamber choir under the direction of Galina Maksimova and many others.

This holiday is beginning to acquire features that make it not only an internal event in our community. This event is already attracting the attention of the creative strata of the Australian society - singers, musicians who love and appreciate the Russian musical heritage.

In addition to preserving tradition, I had a goal to acquaint Australian society with Russian culture. The reports read in Russian were translated into English and distributed to the public along with the program. Any English-speaking person had the opportunity to get acquainted with their content.

At the concert of the Day of Russian Culture, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of M. I. Glinka in 2004, a choir of 82 people sang. All singers were Australians. All English speakers. The choir was directed by Andrew Weiles, a well-known music director and conductor. They sang in Russian and Slavonic both church hymns and Russian folk songs. Nikolai Kovalenko (Koval) Jr. works with this choir as a tutor in Russian pronunciation and as a soloist. Russian culture has penetrated into the hearts of Australians!

Now we no longer need to mourn the lost homeland. She is open to us. We travel to Russia, we see how the spiritual revival is going on, we have full access to books, films, and most importantly, to people. This year we celebrated the 150th anniversary of A.P. Chekhov. I invited M. N. Ferentsev, director of the Sydney A.R.T. I am glad to say that the performance was brilliant. I was asked a lot of questions about who the artists are, where they come from. I explained that this is a wave of new people who were educated in Russia and now live in Australia. They considered it an honor to continue the wonderful tradition of celebrating the Day of Russian Culture.

Let us not only hope, but also strive to ensure that this tradition continues and that we remain bearers of Russian culture in our prosperous multinational country of Australia.

I would like to say about one more event that I was instructed to hold - this is the 100th anniversary of Harbin. This event was held within the walls of the University of Melbourne, speakers were invited who recalled the different phases of Harbin life, covering the spiritual, political, academic, theatrical life of Harbin. A beautifully designed exhibition of Harbin was presented, reflecting all the above phases of life: photographs of builders and employees of the Chinese Eastern Railway, temples, educational institutions, theaters, drama, ballet, musicians, etc. This event was published by a separate magazine "100th Anniversary of Harbin".

Then, for the Russian society in Melbourne, the need for the existence of a literary society was long overdue. I put forward a proposal to which many like-minded people responded. During this period of time, Professor Georgy Alekseevich Tsvetov came to Australia on a visit. I got acquainted with his lectures, which he gave on SBS radio, read his articles on the topic “Village People”, and I myself was little acquainted with the work of V. Soloukhin. After all, a lot of things did not reach us during the years of the Soviet regime, but after reading “Black Boards”, “Reading Lenin”, I clearly understood who we would like to name the created society after. In addition, I knew that he was one of the initiators of the restoration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

At the next meeting, administrative issues were resolved. The society was registered as the V. Soloukhin Literary Society. But later the society began to develop rapidly, the topics of the reports were often related to art, so we officially gave it a name: “Literary and Theater Society named after V. Soloukhin”. At this meeting, your venerable servant Galina Ignatievna Kuchina was unanimously elected chairman of the society, and Olga Konstantinovna Shonina was elected secretary of the society.

Immediately after the founding of the society, we received a blessing from Archbishop Hilarion, now Metropolitan of the Russian Church Abroad of Australia and New Zealand, and a letter in which he shared his personal memories of meeting V. A. Soloukhin, and of the impression that the writer made on him. The meeting took place at the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Jordanville (Jordanville, N.Y, U.S.A.), when Vladyka was still a seminarian.

We started making reports. The topics of our reports are very multifaceted - the history of Russian statehood, the history of Orthodoxy, the role of the Russian Church in public life, life and work of famous ascetics, statesmen and, of course, writers, poets, composers, artists, etc. It is very important to note that these reports were usually held at a decent academic level, since the speakers were people with a solid education and broad erudition.

Not by chance, but from a letter sent to me by Count D. A. Vuich, I learned about the memorial day, which was held in Moscow on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Russian man Vladimir Alekseevich Soloukhin. After reading an article written by Prince Zurab Mikhailovich Chavchavadze and from which I learned a lot about V. A. Soloukhin, I was once again glad that our society bears his name.

ZM Chavchavadze writes with amazing simplicity and sincerity about his acquaintance with V. Soloukhin's "Letters from the Russian Museum". “It so happened,” writes the author of the article, “that the stunning effect of reading “Letters from the Russian Museum” drove me to libraries in search of other works by the author. It seems like two years remained before the appearance of the Black Boards.

My first discovery, as I wrote above, was the Black Boards. The works of both V. A. Soloukhin and A. I. Solzhenitsyn reached us with a great delay and were passed from hand to hand. We, who were away from Russia, had a great craving for these new products. I remember how, having read The First Circle and Cancer Ward, unable to get The Gulag Archipelago in Melbourne, I was carrying two volumes from Paris. “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” was sold freely in the bookstore, then I found out why, but I enjoyed the “Krokhotok” immensely, and not a single concert took place so that I would not read one of Solzhenitsyn's “Krokhotok”. I read the first little "Duckling" at the concert of the "Russian Theater Circle".

Further, Prince Zurab Mikhailovich writes in his article: “I realized that I had found a like-minded person on earth, a writer of rare and powerful talent. The feeling of spiritual kinship, the closeness of life and worldview positions that determined the attitude to the fate of the Fatherland, its history, faith, traditions, was so clear that it involuntarily pulled me to somehow get to know this fearless giant. Every word spoken by the author of these lines about Soloukhin the man received a loud response in my heart, but I could not express it with the utmost precision and clarity, as Zurab Mikhailovich Chavchavadze expressed it.

I can't pass by in silence wonderful work"Laughter over the left shoulder." Once again I turn to the words of Chavchavadze that this is the most Orthodox work of Soloukhin, for it speaks of the upbringing in the newly appeared soul of the consciousness that it never finds itself outside the eyes of God, and that it depends only on it whether the Guardian Angel will cry over the right shoulder or gleefully giggle behind the left shoulder demon-tempter. This work contains reflections on the three lines of human development: on the path of physical improvement, on the path intellectual development, and, finally, about the third way - the way to God. Above all, this is a hymn to the great patriarchal values ​​of the main backbone of the Russian nation - the peasant class. A village boy is brought up on the eternal values ​​of faith, respect and love for work, family, land, man and, finally, the Motherland - small and large. This work could not leave me indifferent. Reading it, I remembered my dad as a boy, born in a peasant family and brought up in the traditions that V. A. Soloukhin so clearly writes about.

So society has evolved. Monthly reports were read, chamber concerts were held about once every three months, sometimes these concerts were timed to coincide with the Easter holidays or Christmas. A concert was also held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the society. Last big concert June 12, 2011 "Literary and theatrical society named after V. Soloukhin" with the support of the embassy Russian Federation was held on Russia Day.

In November 2012, the Day of Russian Culture was celebrated with a concert dedicated to the 120th anniversary of Marina Tsvetaeva. The concert was held by the Literary and Theater Society. V. Soloukhin” under the auspices of the Ethnic Representation of the State of Victoria.

I served as chairman for 14 years until 2012, handing it over to Olga Konstantinovna Shonina. May God grant her success in this glorious and difficult field.

25.05.2017

In Latvia, the Days of Russian Culture is in full swing, a holiday that was revived in 2011 at the initiative of the local Russian intelligentsia with the support of the Russian embassy, ​​the House of Moscow and the Riga City Council. The program of the spring cycle includes more than 170 different cultural events that take place in Riga, Daugavpils, Jelgava, Jekabpils, Jurmala, Rezekne, Preili…

In the foyer of the Great Guild, the audience was entertained by a cheerful family ensemble "Berendeyka"

According to a long tradition - and the Days of Russian Culture in Latvia have been held since 1925 - festive events are timed to coincide with the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture, widely celebrated in Russia and the countries where our compatriots live, and the birthday of the world-famous and beloved Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. So this year, in the main Orthodox and Old Believer churches in Latvia, on May 24, solemn services were held in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius, thereby giving a blessing to the Days of Russian Culture - 2017.

And the day before, the organizers of the Russian festival held a press conference in the Riga Big Guild, at which they acquainted journalists and guests with the program of the seventh season of the DRC. But besides this, the co-chair of the Organizing Committee, Irina Markina, presented a booklet and a postage stamp with a portrait of the Russian educator, theologian, local historian, historian Ivan Nikiforovich Zavoloko, an outstanding figure of the Old Believers in Latvia, whose 120th birthday anniversary is celebrated this year. In honor of the anniversary of the person who once stood at the origins of the Days of Russian Culture in Latvia, the organizers of this festival have issued a commemorative envelope and a postage stamp that can be sent anywhere in the world. The circulation of the stamp is only 150 copies. Through the efforts of the Foundation for the Development of Culture, a public organization that has taken care of the revival of the Days of Russian Culture in Latvia, over the past six years, five commemorative postage stamps related to Russian history and culture of the country have already been issued. And they have already become a philocartic rarity, which is hunted by collectors and connoisseurs of philately.

Irina Markina (left) and Irina Konyaeva are the main organizers and inspirers of the Days of Russian Culture in Riga

Talking about the portrait of Ivan Zavoloko, depicted on the stamp and envelope, Irina Markina recalled the life of this man, who became a symbol of the Old Believers in Latvia. He considered himself a follower of the first Old Believers, he himself was ready to sacrifice himself in the name of faith. But at the same time, Ivan Zavoloko, who received his higher education at the University of Prague, gathered around him the Russian intelligentsia with a variety of views. He always believed that the Old Believers could be preserved only through education and culture. Having created the Circle of Antique Lovers in pre-war Riga, Zavoloko was the first in Latvia to start studying Russian iconography, he collected poems, songs, legends, descriptions of life and family traditions, believing that there was not a single superfluous detail in the Old Believer culture. In the autumn of 1940 the Riga theologian was arrested and spent 18 years in exile in Siberia. Returning to his homeland, Ivan Nikiforovich continued his research. He was the editor of the Old Believer publications, he himself wrote many bright scientific articles, was the author of textbooks, leaving behind an invaluable cultural spiritual and historical heritage.

– The merits of Ivan Zavoloko to the Russian culture of Latvia cannot be overestimated,- said Irina Markina, - and today we would simply not know about many things if it were not for this unique and amazing person, combining religious rigor and breadth of views, understanding the need for cultural cooperation and mutual cultural exchange.

From Russian colleagues taking part in the Latvian Days of Russian Culture, the floor was taken by a guest from Moscow - the first secretary of the Union Russian writers Svetlana Vasilenko:

– We have a great friendship with Latvia, as the Latvian branch of our Union is located here,- Svetlana told reporters. – We often meet at poetry festivals in St. Petersburg, Yerevan, Kaliningrad. In Riga, we presented the Yuri Dolgoruky Prize to the winners of the Baltic Russian Writers' Competition. For Russia, Latvia is one of the most expensive places, our compatriots live here - Russians and Latvians, who love and know Russian literature. We have brought new works by young authors to this festival, which we would like to introduce to the people of Riga. For ourselves, we hope to discover new names of young writers in Riga, whose works can be included in the almanacs we publish.

Svetlana Vasilenko's colleague, Moscow photo artist, writer, editor-in-chief of the almanac "Patrons and the World" Levon Osipyan spoke about his works, which can be viewed at the exhibition at the Baltic International Academy. And the artist from Volgograd Tatyana Tur, in addition to participating in the exhibition, will hold several master classes in Riga for children and adults on various painting techniques. Special guest of the Days of Russian Culture in Latvia - Opera singer Maria Veretennikova, a laureate of international competitions, a native of Tallinn, now living in the UK, did not tire the audience with a long story, but instead impressed everyone with the sparkling performance of Saint-Saens’ “Nightingale” vocalization (and not Alyabyev, which is more familiar to the Russian ear) – without singing and without accompaniment. By the way, our compatriot, winner of the Grand Prix International Competition English music and Russian Romance in London, most recently performed before Prince Charles with a program of Russian sacred music. According to her, the heir to the British crown is reputed to be a lover of Russian culture...

Organizing such a large-scale festival of Russian culture for the seventh year in a row, and mostly on the basis of the enthusiasm and voluntary principles of several activists, is a rather complicated matter. The Russian embassy helps out, which from the very first year supported the project and assists in establishing ties with Russian regions and creative teams, which the well-known journalist Irina Konyaeva noted in her speech, the main permanent inspirer and organizer of the DRC in Latvia:

– This assistance is important for us, in addition, the embassy disseminates information about our festival abroad and at the level of official structures in Russia. Every year, Russian figures of art and culture come to us with performances, creative teams from various regions of Russia. This year we are waiting for guests from the Pskov region, with which we have established a mutual cultural exchange. But the main pillars of the Days of Russian Culture are in Latvia, although, of course, they are also in Russia, since it is the center of Russian spiritual culture. We would like our project to develop in different sides, and so that he has more and more supports.

Russian choir "Belfry" sings

Representatives of Latvian society often come as spectators to concerts, master classes, theatrical performances, especially excursions that take place in different parts of Latvia within the framework of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Take an active part in literary readings Latvian writers, and poets. Their works translated into Russian are also published in almanacs and collections, but still, as members of the Festival Organizing Committee noted, the main task of the revived DRC is to show what Russian amateur groups can and can do, which do not receive any support from state structures. For them, the Days of Russian Culture is that rare opportunity when they can show their creativity to the general public.

But be that as it may, the fact that the first Days of Russian Culture in Latvia, revived in 2011, was opened personally by the President of the country Valdis Zatlers, will remain a landmark event in history. The words he said at the opening of the Russian project that “Latvian Russians have a unique opportunity to draw from the huge heritage that the Russian people possess, but at the same time continue to create those cultural roots that have already arisen in Latvia” went down in history. Since that year, greetings - in Latvian and Russian - from the first person of the state to the next DRC have already become a good tradition. The current president of Latvia, Raimonds Vejonis, also confirmed her loyalty to her (by the way, the son of a Russian mother, a native of Pskov). As in the past year, so this year, at the opening of the Days of Russian Culture, a greeting and congratulation from the President of the Republic of Lithuania was read out.

At the press conference, the journalists asked the organizing committee whether the Days of Russian Culture are needed today in our rapidly changing world? Sighing tiredly and leaning slightly on the stick, the university teacher, associate professor of the Baltic International Academy, specialist in the history of Russian spiritual culture, Irina Semyonovna Markina, calmly and clearly, as she probably did for decades, explaining her subject to students, answered:

- Of course we need it! With all the changes taking place in the world, the diversity and preservation of cultures remains an urgent need, which is noted in all UNESCO programs. The international community is well aware that the gray, sticky pop cultural mass will not ensure the survival of mankind. Days of Russian, and not only Russian, culture are necessary in order for culture itself to be preserved - as an active process, as creativity, as a process of humanizing a person. The potential of the Days of Russian Culture lies in the ability to shape the cultural consciousness of the Russian people and other people who understand that there is something in the world. different cultures and all of them are of interest. That is why Russian culture has always been and will be in demand in a changing world.

... And in the evening, on one of the historical stages in the Riga Great Guild, Grand opening VII Days of Russian Culture with the participation of professional vocalists and musicians of the Latvian national opera, as well as amateur, youth and children's choirs, which Russian Latvia is rightfully proud of.

The days of Russian culture were held in the children's department of the Central District Library. What could the guys, our readers, see these days? First of all, bright and interesting book fairs, where, in addition to book and magazine material, the works of masters, toys, drawings are presented, which reflect the culture of our people. Telling children about Russian culture through exhibitions, various public events is very important and at the same time interesting.

Culture is not only near and around, it is also within us. She is in our names, songs and fairy tales, legends and stories, in our favorite films, books, paintings, crafts. “The Activities of Our Ancestors” was the name of one of the exhibitions that we presented to our children as part of the Days of Russian Culture. Grade 3 students of the Gymnasium made a journey into the world of the crafts of our ancestors as part of the thematic program "The craft does not ask for food and drink, but brings bread."

From time immemorial, our Russian land has been famous for its good craftsmen, people who have created and continue to create fabulous beauty with their own hands. AT reading room In our library, an exhibition-exposition "Beaded Fairy Tale" was arranged. The name of the exhibition justifies its name, because it presents amazing beaded works of adults, as well as young craftswomen, worthy of admiration. Such works will decorate any interior. The guys who came to the exhibition also watched a multimedia presentation, from which they learned a lot about beads and working with them.

2015, as many know, was declared the Year of Literature. Therefore, we could not ignore literary dates, tell the children about the life and work of writers and poets who made a certain contribution to our literature. We stopped at the work of the Russian folk poet Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin, who turned 120 years old on October 3. His poems are loved by many generations of readers. His poetry continues to live, awakening a feeling of love for native land, to their homeland. Homeland, Russia was for Yesenin the beginning of all beginnings. One of the modern poetesses very truly said about him: "Sergey Yesenin is not just a name, - Russia's poetic soul ...". In the days of Russian culture, the guys from the 6th grade of the Lyceum made a literary - musical journey on the life and work of Sergei Yesenin, and he also presented the exhibition “Your friend, Sergei Yesenin”.

Our Russian culture has long occupied a worthy place in the world. This is the culture of the people with an open soul and a big heart. Even a lifetime is not enough to embrace and appreciate her, to get acquainted with her inexhaustible treasures. All those events that took place in our library during the days of Russian culture are the first steps in familiarization with the precious heritage of Russia.

Head TO CRH G.S. Kirsanova

RIGA, May 21 - Sputnik, Marina Petrova. On Friday, May 20, the spring Days of Russian Culture started in Riga, a tradition that is celebrating its 91st anniversary. More than 150 events: exhibitions, concerts, excursions - all this promises to be bright, varied and authentic. And also - free or almost free.

In Russian about the main

The first and main feature of the Days of Russian Culture is that they never repeat themselves. For 91 years, the organizers have constantly managed to bring something new to this holiday, spoiling the inhabitants of Latvia either intellectually, or visually, or spiritually. The main thing is that it should be in Russian - and this is a definite plus, says President Raimonds Vējonis.

"Latvia has always been a place where representatives of of different nationalities. The diversity of cultures has always enriched our society and required us to be able to dialogue and listen to those around us, thus creating a path to the best Latvia- said the head of state at the opening of the Days of Russian Culture in the Big Guild. — It is very important for every person to be aware of their roots, to understand and know their culture and traditions. This strengthens our identity and helps to find our place in today's global world. It is important to know those who are close to us, understand their customs and build a society based on mutual respect."

The organizers are in awe of the attention from the first person of the state.

“It is important when the first person of the state supports and understands our main tasks, our aspirations, and in each letter evaluates our work to unite society, expand the dialogue of cultures, and interact with different people who live in the same country,” admits the co-chair of the organizing committee Days of Russian Culture Yuri Kasyanich.

"We have become a kind of cultural bridge between Latvia and Russia," adds co-chairman of the organizing committee Vlad Bogov.

Not Russian, but Russian

The words of the Latvian President very accurately described the prerequisites for the creation of the tradition of the Days of Russian Culture. It happened 91 years ago in Tallinn.

"In those days, Russian immigration to different countries I asked myself how to preserve Russian culture, being isolated from Russia. And then it was decided to create a single brand - "Days of Russian Culture", however, then it was only one day. The initiative found great support in Europe, with 17 countries joining it. She came to Latvia a year later - in 1925, having existed until 1940. This project turned out to be quite viable. The intelligentsia of a very high level was engaged in these days," the chairman of the organizing committee, Irina Konyaeva, told Sputnik.

Then, with the beginning Soviet period, Days of Russian culture were forgotten.

"It was connected with emigration, no one wanted to remember these days in Soviet time. And when the USSR collapsed and we all ended up abroad, creative communities were very divided," she continues.

Creative teams were not only disunited, they were not able to exist in the new conditions, because in Soviet times there was no special support for Russian culture in the localities. “There was a central department that broadcast performances and ballets, there was a system of tours, thick popular science and literary magazines, and the culture of mainly titular nations was maintained in the Union republics,” says Irina Konyaeva.

It took years for this disunity to develop into such a large-scale project as the Days of Russian Culture.

"It was 2011. Figures of Russian culture and the public wrote a letter to the Minister of Culture to get an opinion on the revival of the tradition of the Days of Russian Culture. The ministry said that they had nothing against it, but they would not give money. And we took up the organization. Then it was not yet we knew what the response would be - it was a very extraordinary undertaking. Russian culture or events on an interstate line," recalls our interlocutor.

Unexpectedly for the organizers themselves, everything began to spin. The idea was immediately supported by the Latvian Orthodox Church, then by the Old Orthodox Pomeranian Church of Latvia, the Riga City Council and the Russian Embassy in Latvia. The Riga City Council allocated premises, President Valdis Zatlers responded to the invitation to attend the opening of the event, the Metropolitan, representatives of the Old Orthodox Church, the Russian Ambassador, and deputies came. The dates chosen are not random: from May 24, when the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is celebrated (the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius), and until June 6, the birthday of A. S. Pushkin. And in the first year, 70 events were held.

“Then we just placed an application - those who want, join and hold your events as part of the Days of Russian Culture. We ourselves did not expect that the people would respond like that,” admits Irina Konyaeva.

Acquiring traditions

At the same time, the first traditions appeared - for example, gingerbread, which has now become an integral attribute of the Day of Russian culture.

“In the second year, we already made our own newspaper, Russian Days, with a program of events,” says Irina Konyaeva. “Last year, we decided that we would issue our own postage stamps, one was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the tradition of the Days of Russian Culture in Latvia. The second — To the 140th anniversary of Elpidifor Tikhonitsky, one of the founders of the Days of Russian Culture, in 1925. This year, together with the Latvian Orthodox Church, we will issue a postage stamp in honor of the 140th anniversary of the birth of Hieromartyr John Pommer, Archbishop of Riga and All Latvia. made together with the Latvian post, that is, these stamps can be absolutely safely used.

You can disassemble not only stamps, but also tickets - however, if something else is left. About 70% of events are free, the rest are almost free. For ten days (from May 9 to May 15), about eight thousand tickets were sold. The organizers somehow calculated that 30,000 people visited the entire cycle of the Days of Russian Culture.

According to Russian notes

This is not surprising, given the fact that the Days of Russian Culture is almost everything. "The program by genre is very diverse, everything is there - both classical and folk music, exhibitions, cinema, excursions, lectures, performances, performances, and an Orthodox ball of Orthodox youth. A very large program in arts and crafts, a lot of master classes,” says Irina Konyaeva. She especially advises attending the ball of Orthodox youth: “For the second year in a row, they will already be doing the Charity Ball of Wonderful Color. It's worth going there to see it, because these content-minded young people are trying to make a real ball, so that it is both entertaining, and beautiful, and meaningful, and so that the aesthetics are respected - with all the beautiful ball gowns and costumes.

Classical music is an integral part of the Days of Russian Culture, but not only it.

"We try to include in one concert and classical music, and the other part, which gives mass character and brilliance,” says Lyudmila Piesse, the compiler of the program for the opening concert of the Days of Russian Culture. The organizers especially note the concert at the Rondo ballet studio and the tour of the State Russian Orchestra folk instruments"Metelitsa" from St. Petersburg, which will perform in Rezekne. According to Irina Konyaeva, there has not been a performance by a professional Russian folk orchestra in Latvia for more than 20 years.

Where there is music, there are poems. "This year, the traditional international poetry festival "Baltic Stanza" will take place, which will take place for four days. There are already four traditional formats - "Almanac of Writing", "Bilingual Evening", "Native Speech Evening" and "Hanse Evening Evening", where our guests from the countries of the Hanseatic Basin.This year, before the festival "Baltic Stropha" there will be another literary evening. Now the Baltic championship in Russian poetry is taking place on the Internet. And within the framework of the Days of Russian Culture, an evening of participants in this championship will be organized," Yury Kasyanich promises.

In Russian places

Another pearl of the Days of Russian Culture is the excursion program. Tickets sell out almost immediately.

“The subject of these excursions is very interesting. They are led by people who work in archives and often train guides themselves. Many guides go on these excursions themselves to replenish their knowledge,” Irina Konyaeva admits. links between the Rundāle Palace and Russian culture. In Riga and Latvia, in general, there are a lot of objects related to Russian history and Russian life."

“We have very diverse guides in their style,” continues the head of the Institute of Russian cultural heritage Latvian Tatiana Feigmane. — There are separate excursions for children. This year young guides have joined us. Our institute offered 14 excursions and 2 lectures this year. This part of the program is gaining popularity and the Latvian Orthodox Church, the Old Orthodox Pomeranian Church, the Roerich Society and a number of other public organizations will also conduct their excursions. There will also be lectures on Russian places in Riga."

Alexander Korolkov.

Not many absolute values ​​remain in culture. Skepticism, and sometimes cynicism, can sound in relation to almost any of its phenomena. If a classic literature still kept in school programs, and a language teacher is sometimes able to form a taste for genuine culture, then no music teacher will overcome video and audio aggression, because here the “avant-garde” leaves no gap for culture with its narcotic effect, rock guides accompany musical development modern man from infancy to old age.

At the anniversary evening of the Faculty of History of the Russian State Pedagogical University. A.I. Herzen in St. Petersburg among the concert numbers, where the performers and performers shook their hips in a very modern way, the host made a reservation, or maybe not a reservation, announcing: “Now a Russian folk song will be performed for our dear veterans ... ". If a folk culture will remain only for veterans, if new generations turn out to be alien to their basis, then the sign "Russia" can only become a reminder of the former country with a peculiar, unique culture.

Russian culture found itself in a state of crisis more than once, but external and internal upheavals (wars, revolutions) did not kill culture, and sometimes even strengthened it. No matter how much they wrote at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries about the death of culture, but Russia in its twentieth century gave such a constellation of names of poets, writers, composers, painters that there is hardly another country that can put a comparable encyclopedia next to us. modern culture. Yes, both folk and religious cultures, although they staggered strongly, resisted: balalaika and accordion players held out in almost every village, and Orthodoxy lived in people with kindness, responsiveness, fraternal mutual assistance.

A more crushing blow lay in wait for culture at the end of the 20th century, when the temptations of freedom from the state, from the family, from traditions opened up. What was called "mass" culture, like drug injections, undermined the body and spirit of culture. Everything that was not momentary turned out to be archaic, not modern, and, therefore, subject to ejection and contempt. Not only old people, but everyone who lived by culture, felt involuntarily on the sidelines of history; a thousand-year-old culture is looking down on the invasion of rock stars, showmen, transsexuals, satanists.

Of course, a magazine article or a teacher's lesson cannot stop the decay of a culture, but an echo can still arise in someone's soul - a bud can hatch, and a branch will turn green from a bud, give flowers and seeds; the seeds, picked up by a favorable wind and fallen on suitable soil, as you know, sprout and sometimes completely crowd out the weeds. Everything has its time.

I want to remind you of one historical lesson- about the Day of Russian Culture, which helped stir up all Russian people, young and old, away from their homeland. Such a day as a reminder of the flowering of our culture, of its diversity and inexhaustibility, of its closeness to our soul - such a day would be healing for us today, like that bud that will eventually give a renewed garden. The Day of Russian Culture was born in Czechoslovakia, in the Russian Diaspora.

The Czechoslovak Republic unfailingly accepted in the 20s of the twentieth century the flows of refugees from Russia. At first it seemed that a return was about to come, that Russia would not accept the loss of hereditary farmers, universal engineers, bearers of the spirit and intellect of the nation. In the Czechoslovak Republic, through the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (E. Beneš was then minister), a program of systematic assistance to refugees was developed, which was not limited to providing shelter, work, and basic household amenities.

In Czechoslovakia, one of the largest centers of the Russian Diaspora was formed, where not only was charitable support guaranteed to thousands of people, but the forces of Russia were organically poured into the economic, scientific, technical, and spiritual life of the republic. At the same time, at first there was no hint of Russian assimilation, on the contrary, a full-blooded organism of national self-development was created. They cared not only about today. Already in September 1922, the Association of Russian Zemstvo and City Leaders (Zemgor) opened a Russian Reformation Gymnasium in Prague, and a little earlier, the Russian Gymnasium of the All-Russian Union of Cities, organized by the wonderful ascetic Adelaide Vladimirovna Zhekulina, almost completely moved from Constantinople; the gymnasium settled on the border between the Czech Republic and Moravia, in the city of Moravska Trzhebova. Forty buildings housed here and Kindergarten, and classrooms, and its own church - all this made the gymnasium a special place where they gave a unique education, upbringing, where children from other countries aspired to get in order to grow up in a truly Russian environment; they sent children even from China and Japan, not to mention all the European countries where the bitter fate dispersed the Russian people.

The structure of scientific institutions and societies, educational institutions, cultural organizations, various associations in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s and 1930s is worthy of the most careful study, not for the sake of historical curiosity, but as an invaluable experience for the current revival of Russia. AT short term, by the mid-20s, the Russian Academic Group in Czechoslovakia, the Russian Foreign Historical Archive in Prague, Russian historical society in Prague, the Don Cossack Archive, the Institute for the Study of Russia, the economic office of Professor S.N. Prokopovich, the Philosophical Society in Prague, the Russian Book Committee, the Society of Siberians. With all the difficulties of paper, printing, a noticeable book market arose, comprehensively representing both the Russian classics, and scientific research, and the search for creative youth, and textbooks, and art. Until now, in the second-hand bookshops of Czechoslovakia, there are books of publishers of that time: “Flame”, “Slavic Publishing House”, “Peasant Russia”, “Will of Russia”. Somehow I managed to buy several issues of the Russian School Abroad periodical in Prague... All this requires a special story, because the time has come for our compatriots to know about each of the listed scientific organizations, about the work of scientists who were cut off from their native land, but devotedly served her until the end of her days, hoping for the inextinguishability of Russian science and culture.

Educational institutions created in the twenties in Prague, both in name and in teaching staff, could compete with any current Russian city, even with St. Petersburg. In Prague there was not only the Russian People's University, but also the Russian Law University, the Russian Institute of Agricultural Cooperation, the Russian Institute of Commercial Knowledge, the Russian Higher School of Railway Technicians, and the Automobile and Tractor School.

A professor, a writer, every person who chose and develops the culture of a great nation was like a rural teacher, immersed around the clock in the cares of education and enlightenment. One and the same teachers, thinkers, confessors could be seen in almost all educational associations, in the skete of poets, in theaters, in the Slavic library.

The names of historians, economists, writers, philosophers, theologians who lived in Prague have not yet gained due fame among our readers. In Czechoslovakia, the brothers A.V. continued to create Russian culture. and G.V. Florovsky (historian and theologian), N.O. Lossky, S.I. Gessen, P.I. Novgorodtsev, D.I. Chizhevsky, I.I. Lapshin, A.A. Kizevetter, E. F. Shmurlo, P. B. Struve, A. L. Bem, E. A. Lyatsky ... It is bitter to reproduce a huge list of names amputated from Russia, although now, in order to become full-blooded Russia again, you need to master everything that you managed to do Patriots outside geographic boundaries.

The more terrible information came from the land of the Fatherland about the ruin of spiritual centers, the more desperately the Russian intelligentsia abroad fought for the preservation of successive ties of one of the most developed cultures of the world, which reached its highest flowering just in time for the beginning of the 20th century. Naturally, in the conditions of Abroad, the symbol of Russia - A.S. Pushkin became a torch that ignited the national holiday - the Day of Russian Culture.

Since 1925, at the initiative of the association of Russian teachers' organizations, the Union of Russian Academic Organizations, the Association of Russian Emigrant Students in all countries where Russian people lived, on May 26 according to the old style or June 6 according to the new one, that is, on Pushkin's birthday, the Day of Russian Culture was celebrated . In Czechoslovakia, a committee was created for the Day of Russian Culture, and the scale of the holiday grew from year to year, capturing cities, towns, and all sorts of villages where Russians lived. Proximity Slavic cultures related in this holiday Russians, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks, Rusyns, Poles.

A detailed protocol of the holiday held in 1929 in one of the small towns has been preserved. The festivities here began in the morning with a solemn service in the temple, then a grandiose manifestation took place with the national flag and in national clothes, where there were footmen, horseback riders, cyclists, a combined orchestra, where an airplane circled over the demonstrators, scattering holiday flyers and congratulations. After the procession, the city park was filled with fun - hymns, speeches, choirs, dances. The city theater gave its large hall for meetings of cultural and educational societies and for meetings with famous scientists, public figures (eminent guests from Prague, sometimes from other countries, certainly came). An outstanding historian, a student of Klyuchevsky, Alexander Alexandrovich Kiziwetter, spoke at the described holiday.

The program of the Day of Russian Culture included a reminder of the architects of Russian culture, its monuments and centers. In 1926, the holiday was devoted entirely to Moscow, and the former Moscow Mayor N.I. Astrov made a wonderful report “Moscow in Images and Pictures”, which was later successfully read more than twenty times in European cities. In 1927, such a celebration was associated with memories of the traditions of Novgorod and Pskov. Lectures were given not only in Russian. The Czech Philharmonic and the Prague Opera supported the holidays with their musical performances.

The Day of Russian Culture left its mark both in one-day newspapers and in special books, and considerable attention was paid to the publication of books by Russian authors in the Czech language. Scientists talked not only about their professional subject, but A.A. Kizevetter, for example, wrote about Russian theatrical life, Professor I.I. Lapshin - about Russian music, almost everything - about his beloved Russian literature, history, philosophy, art.

The historian E.F. Shmurlo, in one of the collections dedicated to the Day of Russian Culture, explaining the meaning and significance of the holiday, wrote that this day aims to refresh in some, in others to re-sow the consciousness of our Russianness, to point to our eternal values ​​created by the efforts thousands of years of work of previous generations, because to perceive, to realize spiritual values ​​means to define one's national face, to get away from facelessness. “Many have already lost faith in themselves personally and in the revival of Russia. How can one not come to the aid of such people, how can one not tell them: Russia will not perish, will never perish, cannot perish! A people that has endured on its shoulders the age-old evil of the Mongol yoke, the hard times of impostors ... and, moreover, developed a valuable culture of world significance - such a people cannot but have a bright future, and no dark force will be able to overcome it ”(E. Shmurlo. What is day of Russian culture? // Architects of Russian culture. - Prague: Publishing House "Flame", 1926).

The historian addressed his ardent words to emigrants, but these words are equally necessary for all of us, who are making the wrong steps to revive Russia in an unequal struggle with cassette culture.

The formation of children, youth, the unity of the historical values ​​of the nation, spiritual uplift would be facilitated by the Day of Russian Culture, the date of which does not need to be invented, because the birthday of A.S. Pushkin can become not just a celebration of our national genius, but a triumph of all Russian culture.

Someone may have a question: will this not be a repetition of the holiday of Slavic writing and culture that has already declared itself? Of course not, since that holiday is all-Slavic, reminiscent of our common origins and paths in history; it is no coincidence that the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture is being organized in Novgorod, Minsk, Pskov; every year a place in the Slavic lands is chosen for the central celebration - Serbia, Bulgaria, and other countries can become such places.

The Day of Russian Culture can be a national day, and every city, town, village will bring its spirit to this holiday. We should not at all expect the beginning of such a rise in Russian culture from the capital. The initiative is quite within the reach of the Altai land, where Russian culture has not yet lost its essence, where there are folk and professional creative groups, where the very way of natural Russian life, crafts and skills have survived, where the way of life of the Old Believers and the festive rites of the Orthodox Church side by side.

How would such a holiday unite generations, now torn apart by far-fetched subcultures alien to our millennial development! Entrepreneur, banker, writer, scientist, teacher are able to unite in what we all have in common for centuries - in culture. Tribal selfishness and self-conceit separate peoples, but culture unites them. The Day of Russian Culture is the day of the awakening of spirituality, the light of ideals, love, truth, openness, catholicity.

May there be such a day!