Worldwide celebration of the 225th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Pushkin
On June 6, Russian Language Day is celebrated all over the world. The holiday was established by the United Nations in 2010, and a year later it was officially declared a memorable date in Russia. The holiday is timed to coincide with the birthday of Pushkin the founder of the modern Russian literary language. Celebrations in honor of the great poet are held in different countries of the world.
In the Moscow business center, on the landmark date, the Russian House in Astana organized the exhibition space #Pushkin225, which became a platform for interesting excursions, reading contests, and interactive lessons. More than 5,000 people took part in the events. During the project, an exhibition of drawings based on Pushkin’s fairy tales and the seventh chapter of Eugene Onegin was held. The action “Pushkins Walk in Kazakhstan” is taking place in this country for the sixth time. Students and schoolchildren in Pushkin masks ask passers-by questions about the poet’s life and work and ask them to recall his poems.
Representatives of organizations of Russian compatriots living in Azerbaijan, the creative team of the Azerbaijan State Academic Russian Drama Theater named after Samad Vurgun, teachers and students of local schools laid flowers at the monument to Alexander Sergeevich, located in the center of Baku, and read poems and excerpts from everyone’s favorite works of A.S. Pushkin.
In Belarus, based on the Grodno Humanitarian College, children read Pushkin’s poems and participated in a master class on making a postcard with the image of Alexander Pushkin in stone watercolor technique, using semi-precious stones.
In Tajikistan, employees of the Russian Embassy and the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Tajikistan laid flowers at the monument-bust of Pushkin in Dushanbe. The ceremony was held at the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University. And students of the Faculty of Russian Philology of RTSU read the famous poems of the poet. Hundreds of Chisinau residents of all ages came to Moldova to honor the memory of the creator of the modern Russian language. The participants laid flowers and also read the poet’s poems in two languages – Russian and Moldovan.
In the Kyrgyz Republic, streets in the settlements of the country are named after the writer, and eight Kyrgyz schools are named after Pushkin. The Moscow Classics Foundation, with the support of the Russian House in Bishkek, is holding a traditional “Pushkin Relay Race of Cities” in the country’s schools. The Russian Language collection from the electronic fund of the institution is presented to the guests of the Russian Center for Science and Culture. It includes more than 1,100 items of rare archival documents, including manuscripts, monuments of Russian writing, archival affairs, scientific works, dictionaries, reference books, textbooks, and much more. Visitors will be able to get acquainted with materials about the history of relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan, which are presented in the electronic collection of the Presidential Library “Russia – Kyrgyzstan: from the history of relations.”
Interest in Russian classics is not fading, and this event will become a real cultural bridge between the countries. In 1903, A. S. Pushkin’s novel “The Captain’s Daughter” was translated into Chinese. Moreover, it was Pushkin who opened the first page of Russian literature for Chinese readers. Lu Xin, who became the founder of twentieth-century Chinese literature, in 1908 highly appreciated the contribution that Pushkin made to Russian literature, calling on his example to transform literature into an “independent sphere of public consciousness.” The poetic flash mob “Reading Pushkin” was held in China, organized by the Russian Club in Shenzhen. Videos of the reading of the Russian poet’s favorite poems were sent from Harbin, Hong Kong, and other cities of the country.
Russian House in Belgrade celebrated the 225th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian poet. The anniversary celebration was attended by students of primary schools in Serbia, where Russian is taught. The students presented poems in Russian, and dramatic scenes based on Pushkin’s works. Students were able to learn interesting facts from the life and work of the writer, as well as test their knowledge by taking part in a quiz. The event was organized by the Russian-Serbian Friendship Society Soyuz and the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Serbia, with the support of the Russian House in Belgrade.