Penza, 4 November 2016. PenzaNews. Celebration events, dedicated to the National Unity Day, took place in the center of Penza on Friday morning, November 4.

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The procession of enterprises and organizations’ employees of all the four areas of Penza opened the celebration on the occasion of the national holiday.

Two columns, one of which – moving from the Drama theatre – was led by the governor Ivan Belozertsev, the chairman of the regional Legislative Assembly Valery Lidin, the Penza mayor Victor Kuvaytsev, the head of the city Valery Savelyev, and other official, merged into a single whole on Lenina square. The officials were not on stage but among ordinal citizens.

The gathered people were holding Russian tricolor flags, as well as flags of the Penza region and the “United Russia” party.

It became known in advance that communists will hold a rally and a meeting on November 6, and on the following day they will lay flowers to the monument to Lenin, the representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party will gather at the building of the former “Rodina” cinema, and representative of “A Just Russia” party did not file an application for arranging their own mass event.

The honorary citizen of Penza Alexander Kalashnikov was the first to give a speech on the stage.

“1612. Polish invaders occupied Moscow. The boiling point of the national anger was a claim made by the Siginmund III King of Poland, who sought to obtain the throne of Russia. Ordinary people – the local warden Minin and the voivode Pozharsky gathered people, united them and went to Moscow. On November 4, 1612 they defeated the Polish invaders, got them out of the capital city. […] It was 1812. The French conquered Moscow but they did not conquer our Russian people. The people got united again. Ordinary peasant serfs took pitchforks, bear spears and went to fight for our mother-Russia. 1941-1945. The people were united again and defeated Nazi Germany. This proves that only when we are united, we are strong,” he said.

In turn, the history and social science teacher of school No.51 Albina Tumparova noted that the National Unity Day is intended to remind us that citizens of Russia are “a single nation with common historical destiny and common future.”

“This holiday is a symbol of unity and reconciliation of all the people,” the teacher said.

Emotional congratulations were offered by Mikhail Krasnov, head of the regional cardiovascular center of the Burdenko clinical hospital, co-chairman of the regional APF branch.

“I am proud of our great country. […] I wish us all peace, health, prosperity, and success. Let our region be the best in Russia. Since among us there are the youth and veterans, please two short and one long and rolling ‘Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!’” he said to Penza residents gathered on the square.

The chairman of the regional branch of “Russian Union of Afghan Veterans” Vladimir Kholzinev also proposed to Penza residents to shout “Hurray!” in honor of the native city.

“Let’s do it together so that everyone could hear us!” he said.

Vladimir Kholzinev recalled the bravery of Russian warriors in different historical periods of the country and called the youth to oppose the ideas of fascism.

“Guys, young people, I address to you, you are to defend our interests. In unity with our fathers, forefathers, children, and grandchildren we are invincible!” he said.

As Uliana Bezrukova, member of the Youth Parliament of the Legislative Assembly noted, the National Unity Day is a significant holiday in the light of contemporary realities.

“It is the spirit of patriotism and unity that is the key to peace in our homeland. Modern young people, despite the information war, will never accept the ideas that our country is an outsider or that it shows aggression towards others. We support the line of the President of the Russian Federation, we support the line of Vladimir Putin. I, a mother of two children, believe that each of us wants peaceful skies for our children, stability and well-being for our compatriots. The responsibility and the future lie on us, on the youth. Those, who are not looking at the West, getting tempted by delights of the west life, are true patriots,” she said.

During the rally, everyone could write wishes on big balloons, which were then set up to the sky.

The celebration was continued by a concert of creative teams.