Pushkin Day in Russia

The celebration began on the June, the 5th with the presentation of deputations in the great hall of the Duma: there were about 100 delegations. The whole of Russia, by its elected representatives, came to honor Pushkin's memory. Welcome telegrams were received from Latvia, Montenegro, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia. The Pushkin Exhibition was opened in the Aristocratic Club with lifetime editions of the poet, his manuscripts, his saber, two rings, and Pushkin's seal being for display, as well as translations of his works into foreign languages.

The next day main event was the unveiling the Pushkin’s statue by sculptor A.M. Opekushin on the Tverskoy Boulevard. The whole square was decorated with green garlands and with the white and gold shields with the titles of Alexander Pushkin's books. Representatives of institutions stood with the red, white, and blue flags. The orchestra and the choir were conducted by N.G. Rubinstein: they played "How glorious is Our Lord on Zion", the national Russian anthem. The deputations laid wreaths, which, at the end of the solemn ceremony, were almost all dismantled by the public for memory.

What were the rest two days of the Pushkin Celebrations devoted to, you learn from the rare book. You'll see the reason why the first Pushkin Day seems to have taken place beyond the jubilee year and get a chance to return to the poet’s biography, which makes a half of this 46-page publication.

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