Penza citizens light candles to honor World War II dead
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Penza, 22 June 2015. PenzaNews. Penza held its ninth patriotic campaign “Memory Candle” by the city’s Military and Labor Valor Monument on the evening of Sunday, June 21, to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War [the direct involvement of the Soviet Union in the Second World War].
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The event brought together youth activists, veterans and concerned citizens, and even a sudden rain did not stop them from gathering on Pobedy prospekt.
Holding such events in the days preceding June 22 [the day the Nazi Germany attacked the USSR], or Day of Memory and Grief as it is commonly known in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, became a good tradition, noted the Penza city head Victor Kuvaytsev.
“And the weather today seems to be telling us we are doing it at the right time, as it [the weather] seems to be honoring the events happened 74 years ago with teardrops falling from the sky – another proof the event is the right thing to do,” he said.
Such events show the eternal respect and gratitude to the veterans who did everything for the Russian people to live in a free country, Victor Kuvaytsev noted.
“And our younger generation has this unique window of time where there exists an opportunity to talk to, befriend and listen to the people involved in that horror,” the city head added.
In his turn, the chairman of the city Veteran Council and the soldier of the Battle for Stalingrad Vladimir Kerkhanadzhev called the young people who gathered at the event the descendants of the victors.
“The victors are passing away, as per the natural law. There are 740 participants of the Great Patriotic War left in the city, and they all are far over 90-95. Therefore, we, those who fought those bloody fights, entrust you to take care of our Russia, take care of the country who had won,” the veteran said.
Afterwards, the people who took part in the campaign honored the fallen soldiers with a moment of silence.
The meeting concluded with lighting of the candles to commemorate the lives taken by the war, and laying the flowers to the Penza Military and Labor Valor Monument.
