Penza, 4 November 2015. PenzaNews. The celebrations of National Unity Day took place in Penza city center on Wednesday, November 4. Before the beginning of the official events, representative of companies, student, veteran and civil societies, as well as political parties, formed ranks by the Lunacharsky Drama Theater building for a November 4 march.

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The rank of the Oktyabrsky residential area of Penza city was headed by the governor Ivan Belozertsev, who took part in the celebratory march on Moskovskaya street accompanied by a brass orchestra.

The city head Victor Kuvaytsev, the mayor of Yuri Krivov, members of regional government, deputies of regional Legislative Assembly and City Duma, as well as other officials, also joined the march.

Penza citizens were holding banners reading “Our Power In Unity” and “1612! 1812! 1945! Russian People – Nation of Victors!”

After the ranks arrived to Lenina square, the people held a moment of silence for the victims of Airbus A321 passenger jet crash in Egypt.

The format of this year’s public rally was different: the heads of Penza and the region did not go to the podium and stayed together with workers, state servants and students, and the honor of speaking to the public was given to citizens.

The first to speak was Vyacheslav Faleychik, electrician for “Penzadieselmash,” chairman of the youth council for the Penza region workers unions federation, who congratulated the people with National Unity Day, and noted that Russia currently has to go through tough times.

“All this creates certain objectives for us that we would be able to solve only when we all are together, when we are united,” he stressed.

Among other people who spoke at the public rally were Klara Bakhteeva, chairman of the first-tier workers union organization “Russian Professional Electricians Union”; Darya Yushechkina, senior student of the History and Philology faculty at the Penza State University, member of the Russian Historical Society; and Sergei Tsigvintsev, chairman of the regional branch for the Russian Civil Organization for Veterans of War, Labor, Armed Forces and Law Enforcement.

The official part that took nearly 15 minutes was followed by a concert that opened with a performance of “Kazachya Zastava” song and dance ensemble. During the concert, the governor Ivan Belozertsev eagerly answered questions of citizens at the event, while the mayor Yuri Krivov posed for photos and selfies with passers-by.