Victory Day in Moscow: Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
The celebration commemorated the valor and sacrifices of those who contributed to victory in World War II, showcasing Russia’s military might and cultural pride. Amidst the impressive marching troops, tanks, aircraft, and vibrant displays of patriotism, the atmosphere resonated deeply with the weight of history. The parade offered a profound insight into Russia's past, as veterans proudly wore medals, families paid homage, and the city itself embodied collective memory and national identity. Witnessing this glorious event firsthand was both moving and unforgettable, making it an extraordinary privilege to be part of such an esteemed celebration.
Some days are days that you will never forget. As for me, one of them is May 9th, which is the Day of Victory in Russia.
When I entered the HSE University as an international student I entered Moscow as a person that had enormous curiosity of the cultural and the historical forces that form present day Russia. I had learnt about Victory Day previously and knew that it was an important day – but I had no idea how hugely significant, filled with emotion and uniting Victory Day really is until I was amidst thousands of people on the Red Square surrounded by past, pride and tears.
I had a very rare chance this year to witness the military parade on the Victory Day and I was deeply touched. It wasn’t just a parade. It was a national homage, a respect to the history, and a living evidence of the cost of peace.
A morning that rang with History
I reached the area near Red Square at the time when the sun was barely up. The air is fresh, the crowd is massing and all over there was a sort of subdued excitement as the long night dawned. The streets leading to the Kremlin were filled with families with kids, the veterans wearing decorated uniforms, and young cadets. People moved with a purpose around – as if this was not just a celebration, but a pilgrimage.
Victory Day—День Победы—is celebrated annually on the 9th of May to celebrate the official surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945. Although many countries in the Western Europe celebrate the end of the World War 2 on the 8th of May in Russia a clock passed midnight when the surrender was signed hence on the 9th of May, Russia celebrates the day of triumph.
However, this day is much more than an end of a war. In Russia, it celebrates the victory over what they call “The Great Patriotic War” (Великая Отечественная Война), that is, the atrocious war which Soviets fought against Nazi Germany from June the 22nd, 1941 to May the 9th, 1945.
Remembering the Great Patriotic War
The numbers alone are staggering. More than 27 million Soviets lives were lost. Every family grieved victims in sons, daughters, brothers, and mothers. Entire cities were decimated. In the course of 872 days Siege of Leningrad more than 1 million people perished from starvation and bombardment. In Stalingrad, one of the most critical battles in all the world reduced an entire city into rubble — but also prompted the Soviet counter-offensive which drove the Nazis all the way back to Berlin.
In this war, there was no far-off soil where this war was fought, it was fought at home. In the villages, in the streets and in the hearts of all the Soviet citizens. That is why the Russian Victory Day is so intimate for Russians. It is not only a matter of factual history, but family memory, national strength, and the price of survival of enormous scale.
The Parade: A Nation Stands Tall
As the national anthem was being played, the parade was officially kicked off. Thousands simply stood, hand on heart, eye on the square. It was breathtaking to watch.
Precisely marching were the members of the Russian Army, Navy, and Air Force and the elite military academies, the female battalions, and Special Forces. Discipline on them was marvelous, their presence was commanding. Behind them, wheeled by, columns of tanks, missile systems, armored vehicles and historic war-time machines, a visual link spanning the years.
When we looked up to the sky there was the roar of jet engines in the sky, as the Russian Air Force passed overhead leaving a trail of red, white, and blue in the sky. The crowd erupted in applause.
This was not grandstanding before the world under the guise of some kind of strength, but was a way to show unity, reverence, and assertion of peace. There was meaning in everything. Each movement revered the forebears.
Veterans: Living Symbols of Sacrifice
The most poignant moment of the whole day was when the veterans came; old, but proud, medals decorating their jackets that would tell stories which no words could. People along the way clapped and cheered; there were many waving bunches of flowers or simply standing to say “Спасибо за Победу” (Thank you for the victory).
I witnessed old veterans carrying pictures of the fallen comrades and some wept. Some walked with difficulty; others came in on wheel chairs, pushed in by other family members. All of them however, had looks of quiet dignity – a demonstration that no matter the inexplicable pain, the human spirit can remain standing and emerge afresh. Later within the same day, I became a part of the Immortal Regiment March, which is an annual event, whereby millions hold photos of their ancestors who fought in the war. It was humbling to see people walking with pictures of soldiers, nurses, partisans and civilians who were all involved in the war effort.
This silent, peaceful march reminded one that the Victory Day is not only a state holiday, but a personal day of remembrance of every Russian family.
A City United in Celebration
The city of Moscow turned into a huge celebration after the parade. Parks, squares, and streets were crammed with music, dancing, and eating together. I walked from the Red Square to Gorky Park where one can see people having picnics, children playing, and couples in vintage wartime clothing from 1940s.
The park had large screens that played historical footage and documentaries. Choirs performed patriotic songs. There were interactive exhibits demonstrating how despite the war, ordinary life went on: how people cooked with a limited supply of ingredients, how children were educated in bomb shelters, how the newspapers kept the morale alive.
Food stalls served traditional dishes: buckwheat porridge, shashlik, solyanka, blini and berry drinks. I sampled a generous helping of soldier’s rations being curious to taste a mere drops simplicity of the wartime.
Wherever I went, I listened to tales – of people who carried ammunition with them, of the people who never came back, of the neighbors who survived the sieges. There was laughter, but tears as well. And both felt natural. Victory Day contains all the emotions in one: grief, pride, joy, gratitude. Lesson for Our Generation
The memory was a recurrent topic during the day, especially in the conversation with young Russians. In the contemporary world, events in history are reduced, politicized or even forgotten. However, the Victory Day is still holy in Russia. It’s a day when the past feels real – and important.
It is easy for my generation which has been born far after the war to see history as something which is far from us. However, on this day, May 9, I was able to see how memory was kept alive, not only thru books, but also through ritual, community, and storytelling.
Victory Day helps us not to take peace for granted. It tells us that freedom is a fragile thing. And it says to us, the horrors of war are not the things in a museum, they are the scares in living memory.
A Night of Light and Reflection
As the day was turning into the night, the celebrations reached its emotional climax. Back to Red Square I went for the display of fireworks – probably the most symbolic element of the whole day yours.
At 10:00 p.m., precisely, the skies burst out in color. Diaphanous flares speared up from the Kremlin, multiplying in the surface of the Moscow River. Red, blue, green, gold lit up the faces of thousands of people that came together under. Gasps and shouts heralded the booming of the fireworks above – an appropriate send-off to a hard-plucked peace.
However, there was something holy in that spectacle. People stood still, heads tilted to sky, hands holding hands of the person next to them. The past and the present seeped together for a few minutes. The war sounds had been replaced with the sounds of celebrations – never forgetfulness.
My Personal Takeaway
Going to Victory Day in Moscow was not simply a cultural affair. It was a moral education.
It taught me that patriotism may be both humble and heroic. That remembering the deceased is a loving thing. That one holiday is sufficient to embrace all of the feelings of the nation. And that peace is not a generational gift we can enjoy as an inheritance, but it is what we have the power to keep.
On May 9th I learned something much stronger: empathy through memory.
A Message to My Comrades in College
Make no mistake, should you ever get a chance to be in Moscow during the celebrations of the Victory Day, do not pass it. Stand in Red Square. Talk to a veteran. Join the Immortal Regiment. Watch the fireworks. You will walk away understanding the Russia and yourself better.
Since on this day, you are not going to watch history.
You’ll feel it, like a heartbeat that reverberates through the generations.
Victory Day is not only a holiday in Russia.
It is a breathing story of loss, courage, love, and peace.
And I feel absolutely honored to be part of it.
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