Festival of youth and students in the USSR. Historical chronicles. vi world festival of youth and students

© Yuri Nabatov /TASS

In 2017, our country will host the festival for the third time.

TASS DOSSIER. On October 14-22, 2017, Russia will host XIX World Festival of Youth and Students (VFMS). On the first day, October 14, an international student parade-carnival will take place in Moscow. The main events, including the official opening (October 15) and closing (October 21) ceremonies, will take place in Sochi.

XIX WFMS will be the third festival held in our country.

The editors of TASS-DOSSIER have prepared material about the sixth and twelfth festivals held in the USSR in 1957 and 1985.

VI VFMS

In 1957, the World Festival of Youth and Students was held for the first time on the territory of the USSR. VI WFMS was held in Moscow for two weeks - from July 28 to August 11. It brought together 34 thousand participants from 131 countries.

The festival's emblem was invented by Moscow graphic artist Konstantin Kuzginov. The author chose a flower with five multi-colored petals that symbolized the continents. Red represented Europe, yellow - Asia, blue - America, purple - Africa, green - Australia. At the heart of the flower was a globe with the inscription “For peace and friendship.”

In preparation for the festival in Moscow, new hotel complexes "Tourist" (1956) and "Ukraine" (1957) were built and sports complex in Luzhniki (1956; now the Luzhniki Stadium), where the opening and closing ceremonies of the VI VFMS took place. On the eve of the festival, the youth editorial office “Festivalnaya” was created on the USSR Central Television.

Mira Avenue appeared in Moscow (combining 1st Meshchanskaya, B. Alekseevskaya, B. Rostokinskaya streets, Troitskoe Highway and part of Yaroslavskoe Highway). Delegations followed it on the opening day of the festival. Participants in the forum founded the Friendship Park in the north-west of the capital, and the street starting from the park was named “Festivalnaya” in 1964.

During the festival, international and national concerts were held, circus performances, competitions, exhibitions, meetings and seminars, theatrical performances and film screenings (in the cinemas "Udarnik", "Coliseum", "Forum", "Khudozhestvenny"), chess matches, sports competitions various types sports, etc. Free access to the Moscow Kremlin was opened, balls were organized in the Faceted Chamber. In the Park named after Gorky hosted an exhibition of abstract artists with the participation of the American Jackson Pollock.

At the festival, a song by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy based on the verses of Mikhail Matusovsky was performed for the first time. Moscow Nights"One of the competitions later became the TV show "Evening of Fun Questions" (now KVN). Among the festival laureates were clown Oleg Popov, singers Edita Piekha, Sofia Rotaru, Nani Bregvadze, ballet soloist Maris Liepa and others.

The VI WFMS in Moscow became one of the landmark events of the Thaw era, the first international event in the USSR, in which thousands of foreign guests took part. At the festival they had the opportunity to informally communicate with citizens of the Soviet Union. The festival marked the beginning of the widespread dissemination of “Western” fashion and increased interest in foreign mass culture.

XII VFMS

In 1985, Moscow hosted the youth forum for the second time. The XII World Festival of Youth and Students was held from July 27 to August 3. 26 thousand people from 157 countries took part in it.

The emblem of the XII VFMS was a daisy created back in 1957 with five multi-colored petals symbolizing the continents. However, in the core of the flower against the background of the globe, instead of the inscription “For peace and friendship,” there was placed graphic image dove - a symbol of peace. The author of the updated emblem was the artist Rafael Masautov. The mascot of the festival was “Katyusha” - a Russian beauty in a sundress and kokoshnik.

According to tradition, the festival began with a solemn procession of its participants. On July 27, with the Peace March, members of the delegations marched along major highways of the capital, in particular along Komsomolsky Avenue. The opening and closing of the event took place at the Central Stadium. V.I. Lenin (now - Luzhniki). The festival torch was lit by the legendary military pilot Ivan Kozhedub from Eternal Flame Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin walls. Then he was taken to the stadium by torchbearers - Lenin Komsomol Prize laureate, assembly mechanic Pavel Ratnikov and graduate student, daughter of the planet's first cosmonaut Galina Gagarina. After the lighting of the festival bowl, the “Hymn of the Democratic Youth of the World” was played.

The festival lasted eight days. There were meetings and seminars, discussions and round tables, rallies, various exhibitions and competitions, concerts of artistic groups of delegations and professional artists, mass celebrations. Sports competitions were organized, including races for the “festival mile” (1985 m) and friendly matches in various sports (hockey, basketball, volleyball). The Peace Run was opened by the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch.

The Museum of Cosmonautics hosted a teleconference with the cosmonauts of the Soyuz T-13 spacecraft, Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh, who were in orbit. Honored Master of Sports of the USSR Anatoly Karpov and chess players from other countries (Hungary, Colombia, Portugal and Czechoslovakia) gave a session of simultaneous play on 1 thousand boards. Famous artists Herluf Bidstrup (Denmark) and Tair Salakhov (USSR) conducted master classes. More than 200 creative venues operated in the capital every day.

In front of the guests with concert programs spoke American singer Dean Reed, German rock singer Udo Lindenberg, the groups "Time Machine" and "Integral", Valery Leontyev, Mikhail Muromov, Larisa Dolina, Ekaterina Semenova and others. Famous figure skaters Marina Cherkasova took part in the "Ice Ball" at the Olimpiysky sports complex , Igor Bobrin, Yuri Ovchinnikov and others. The song of the author-performer from Tolyatti Yuri Livshits “Waltz of Silence” became the final melody of the festival.

After the completion of the main festival program, on August 3-16, 1985, an international children's party"Fireworks, peace! Fireworks, festival!"

About XII VFMS in 1985 were withdrawn documentaries: "12th World. Pages of the festival diary", "Round dance of peace and friendship", "Hello, 12th World". Released on the eve of the festival stamps with festival symbols, a commemorative coin of 1 ruble, held special edition state lottery. More than 7 thousand items were produced with the symbols of the festival souvenir products, among which was the now popular “Katyusha” doll. About 500 picturesque panels were installed on the streets of Moscow, and 450 text slogans and appeals were posted.

In the summer of 1957, a truly grandiose, significant cultural event in the life of the country took place in the Soviet Union. The VI World Festival of Youth and Students, which opened on July 28, 1957 in Moscow, created a real sensation in the minds of Soviet people and had a landmark significance for the Soviet popular culture subsequent years. This festival became the most widespread and memorable event of the “Khrushchev Thaw” era. 34 thousand delegates from 131 countries of the world came to the country closed to foreigners. Never before had a cultural-mass international event of such a scale been held in the Soviet Union. We can safely say that after this festival the country became different: more integrated and open to the world.

The country prepared thoroughly for this event: in honor of the festival, new hotel complexes and parks were built in Moscow, a sports complex was erected in Luzhniki, where the grand opening ceremony of the festival took place. Mira Avenue was named so in connection with the festival. It was during the youth festival that Volga GAZ-21 cars, the festival series of RAF-10 minibuses - the so-called "Rafiki", and the unforgettable "" - new comfortable city buses, first appeared on the streets of the capital.

The symbol of this significant youth festival was the famous drawing by Pablo Picasso. In this regard, thousands of birds were released in Moscow - pigeons literally filled the streets of the capital. The emblem of the festival was a flower with five petals, symbolizing the five continents, and the core of the festival flower was a globe with the slogan “For peace and friendship.”

A lot of new things have been included in Soviet life after the unforgettable youth forum of 1957: the USSR appeared, young people began to dress differently - the fashion for jeans and sneakers spread, “” appeared, the game of badminton came into fashion and much more. Within the framework of this festival, one of the festival competitions was born, which later became the most popular in the USSR TV game. And the song “Moscow Nights”, performed at the closing ceremony of the festival, became business card Soviet Union for many years.

On the opening day of the festival, it seemed that the whole city came out to see this colorful spectacle - festival participants drove to the Luzhniki Stadium in open, festively painted cars and an incredible number of people greeted them along the roads. The opening ceremony itself at Luzhniki was simply enchanting: a grand parade with the flags of the participating countries took place at the stadium, and the beautiful culmination of the ceremony was the release of a huge number of white doves into the sky.

The spirit of informal communication and openness reigned in Moscow these days. Foreigners who came to the capital could freely visit the Kremlin, Gorky Park and other attractions of the city. Young people freely communicated, discussed, sang and listened to music together, and talked about everything that worried them. During the days of the festival, about a thousand events were held - concerts, sports competitions, meetings, discussions and performances were very interesting and lively. In those days in Soviet Union arrived bright and talented people from all over the world, writers and journalists, athletes, musicians and actors. Among the young participants of the festival was one of outstanding writers modernity - Gabriel García Márquez, who subsequently wrote an essay about his stay in the USSR.

The festive festival summer of 1957 gave impetus to a new breakthrough in music, painting and literature, and changed the way of life of millions of Soviet people. The festival lifted the “iron curtain” that divided the world, people became closer and more understandable to each other. It was a real unity of people different countries, different colors skin speaking different languages. The ideas of peace, friendship and solidarity have become close to young people on all continents - and this is the most important result of this significant festival.

Today, June 6, the project “ Folk Museum Festival” dedicated to the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS). Over the course of a month, an exhibition will be formed, which will open on July 7 at the Museum of Moscow. Anyone can bring souvenirs left over from the Moscow festivals of 1957 and 1985 to the collection point that opened in the museum. In October, the exhibition will be presented at WFMS-2017 in Sochi. I decided to remember how Soviet citizens and foreign guests saw past festivals.

First

World festivals of youth and students began to be held in the post-war years to consolidate the youth of developing countries, strengthen international cooperation and fight for world peace. “The blood of youth was not shed in vain. The world has come. But fascism and reaction still exist,” they said at the First Festival of Youth and Students in Prague in 1947. After the war, the world needed unity, so young people and youth organizations discussed at the festival, first of all, the lessons of the Second World War, the issues of preserving the memory of its victims, strengthening relations between the USSR and the USA, and combating the nuclear threat.

The well-known emblem of the festival is a flower with the globe in the center and five multi-colored petals, symbolizing the five continents. But at the first festival there was a different logo - figures of a black man and white man shaking hands against the backdrop of the globe. The dove of peace is also considered the emblem of the festival.

At the first festival, stands from many countries talked about the post-war reconstruction of cities, as well as the activities of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, under whose auspices the event was held.

The Soviet stand, however, stood out. A significant part of it was dedicated to the leader of the country, Joseph Stalin. Quotes were given from his speeches and works, as well as excerpts from the Constitution of the USSR. And of course, the stand highlighted the enormous contribution of the Soviet Union to the fight against fascism and building a new world. It should be noted that in those years all this was perceived with enthusiasm by representatives of other states - the victory was won only two years ago and people perfectly remembered who should be thanked for it in the first place. This can be judged by the international press conferences held at the festival.

Sixth

The first Festival of Youth and Students in the USSR (sixth overall) was held in 1957, after Stalin’s death. 34 thousand people from 131 countries came to the Soviet Union. It was a record. However, the festival is remembered not for this, but for the fact that it was then that the “Iron Curtain” lifted over the country for the first time. A year ago, Nikita Khrushchev, at a closed meeting of the 20th Congress, condemned Stalin’s personality cult, and youth festival was supposed to be one of the ways to overcome it.

By the time the guests arrived, Moscow had been transformed - several new hotels were built, and the Druzhba park was laid out. Moscow's Mira Avenue is named after the festival and the international peace movement. In 1956, the youth “Festival Edition of Central Television” filmed several episodes of the “Evening of Fun Questions” program, which served as the prototype of KVN - television viewers were invited to answer questions from the presenters, and witty answers were welcomed. She performed at the festival for the first time, together with, performing the song “Moscow Nights”.

During the festival, students and schoolchildren made speeches in support of the rights of youth, defended the independence of peoples and promoted internationalism. There were also many speeches by representatives of foreign youth organizations. However, participants often deviated from the official agenda. Thus, foreigners expressed dissatisfaction with the events in Hungary in 1956 (the suppression by USSR troops of an armed uprising against the pro-Soviet government of the country) and condemned the jamming of radio broadcasts and “Free Europe”.

But the very possibility of communication between Soviet citizens and foreigners was something unheard of. As Marquez, who then visited the USSR as a correspondent for the newspaper El Espectador, wrote, people were very reluctant to allow foreigners into their homes. In his opinion, this is what the authorities instructed them to do.

Photo: Anatoly Garanin / RIA Novosti

Nevertheless, on the street, Soviet citizens communicated freely with foreigners. Moreover, these were not just conversations - a real sexual revolution took place in Moscow. Moscow girls met foreigners and came to their hotels. Fleeting romances began.

To combat this dangerous phenomenon, squads were urgently organized, traveling in trucks. In the evenings, real raids were carried out, with vigilantes using scissors and hairdressing clippers.

“When trucks with vigilantes, according to the raid plan, unexpectedly drove out into the fields and turned on all the headlights and lamps, then the true scale of the ongoing “orgy” emerged. Love couples there were a great many. They didn’t touch foreigners, they dealt only with girls - part of their hair was cut off, after which the girl had only one thing left - to cut her hair bald,” he recalled jazz musician.

As a result, the unfortunate people had to wear a headscarf. Therefore, Muscovites, often with good reason, suspected all girls who wore a tightly tied headscarf of having connections with foreigners. And of course, children with dark color the skin that appeared after 9 months was impossible to hide. They were called that way - “children of the festival.”

But overall, of course, the festival was a real holiday for both Muscovites and foreigners. Marquez wrote: “They are a people who are desperate to have friends. To our question: “What is the difference between the present and the past?”, the significant answer was repeated quite often: “Now we have many friends.” And they want to have even more friends: to correspond in person, to talk with people all over the world.”

Twelfth

Years passed, festivals were held in different countries, and 1957 became more and more a thing of the past. Nowadays, if you ask a middle-aged person about the Festival of Youth and Students, he will most likely remember 1985.

The XII Festival of Youth and Students opened on July 27, 1985. The new General Secretary of the CPSU made a welcoming speech to the delegates, the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee opened the “Peace Race”, and gave a session of simultaneous chess playing on 1000 boards. There were master classes famous artists, and, at the request of the festival organizers, brought a popular German musician to the USSR.

At the same time, there was no such freedom to express one’s opinion during discussions as in 1957. At the so-called “Free Tribune”, communication between the participants of the event was expected “in order to facilitate the informal exchange of opinions and materials on the activities of various youth and student organizations on to a wide circle issues that concern young people." However, according to the resolution of the Komsomol Central Committee, members of the Soviet delegation were obliged to always persuade foreigners to discuss “one of the following problems: where does the threat to peace come from, the lessons of the Second World War” and others described in the document. In the case of clearly provocative questions, it was recommended to smooth out rough edges or show that the speaker is incompetent.

Photo: Alexander Makarov / RIA Novosti

Perestroika was just beginning; there were still two years left before the proclamation of the policy of glasnost as part of Soviet reforms. However, of course most of young people came to the festival not for the sake of heated political discussions, but to get the joy of communicating with representatives of other countries and to make sure that good people is everywhere. This is what festival participants remember.

According to Andrei Filippov, who in 1985 was the deputy chairman of the USSR KMO, the festival was not at all a “communist gathering,” as some contemptuously call it. “There were not only communist youth unions, but also liberals, Christians, social democrats, and others. In all programs, for example, there were Esperantist clubs - they were gathered throughout the Union. There were representatives of the church, by the way,” he says.

The closing ceremony of the festival took place in the arena of the Lenin Stadium (Luzhniki). Delegates, political and public figures different countries. Sang while the troupe Bolshoi Theater performed scenes from the ballet Swan Lake.

Nineteenth

The last festival for Soviet youth was the 1989 festival, which took place in the DPRK. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, which, of course, dealt a severe blow to festival movement. However, the World Federation of Democratic Youth continued its work, and in 1997 the XIV festival was held in Havana, Cuba.

In October 2017, the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students will be held in Russia, but not in Moscow, but in Sochi. Now organizational issues are being resolved, a competition has been held to create a mascot for the event. The objectives of the festival have changed little over its seventy-year history - the organizers hope that the youth festival will contribute to the formation of a network of friendly foreign youth organizations around the world, a community of promoters of Russian values ​​and interests abroad, and the re-establishment of the International Union of Students.

Spectators of the carnival procession as part of the 19th World Youth Festival greet the Brazilian column. Photo: Vlad Dokshin / Novaya Gazeta

The World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow opened with a carnival procession from Vasilyevsky Spusk along the Kremlin, Prechistenskaya, Frunzenskaya and Luzhnetskaya embankments to the Luzhniki Stadium, where a festive concert awaited the participants of the procession and guests.

It is expected that 20 thousand people from more than 180 countries will take part in the festival.

For the first time, the festival of youth and students was held in Moscow in 1957, and then 34 thousand people from 131 countries of the world took part in it.

We decided to compare these two holidays in our photo report.

The program of the 19th festival of youth and students in Moscow and Sochi recently ended. This means that it’s time to remind the history of the festival to those who are already familiar with it, and to fill the gaps in knowledge among those who have not heard anything about it.

How it all began?

In the fall of 1945, the World Conference of Democratic Youth was held in London, where they adopted a resolution on the creation of the World Federation of Democratic Youth.

The purpose of the organization was to promote mutual understanding among young people on various issues, as well as ensure safety and defend the rights of young people. It was also decided to celebrate World Youth Day on November 10 every year.

Almost a year later, in August 1946, the 1st World Congress of Students was held in Prague, at which the International Union of Students (ISU) was created, which declared its goals to be the struggle for peace, social progress and student rights. It was under the auspices of the WFDY and MSS that the very first festival of youth and students in the Czech Republic took place.

Promising start

17 thousand participants from 71 countries came to the festival in Prague.

The main topic was the continuation of the fight against fascism and the need to unite all countries for this. Of course, the results of the Second World War and the issue of preserving the memory of people whose lives were given in the name of victory were also discussed.

The festival’s emblem depicted two people, a dark-skinned one and a white-skinned one, their handshake against the backdrop of a globe symbolizing the unity of youth from all countries, regardless of nationality, in the fight against major world problems.

Delegates from all countries prepared stands telling about the reconstruction of cities after the war and the activities of the WFDY in their country. The Soviet stand was different from the rest. Most of it was occupied by information about Joseph Stalin, the Constitution of the USSR, the contribution of the Soviet Union to victory in the war and to the fight against fascism.

At numerous conferences within the festival, the role of the Soviet Union in the recently won victory was emphasized, and the country was spoken of with respect and gratitude.

Chronology

The World Festival of Youth and Students was initially held every 2 years, but soon the break increased to several years.

Let us recall the chronology of its implementation:

1. Prague, Czechoslovakia - 1947
2. Hungary, Budapest - 1949
3. GDR, Berlin - 1951
4. Romania, Bucharest - 1953
5. Poland, Warsaw - 1955
6. USSR, Moscow - 1957
7. Austria, Vienna - 1959
8. Finland, Helsinki - 1962
9. Bulgaria, Sofia - 1968
10. GDR, Berlin - 1973
11. Cuba, Havana - 1978
12. USSR, Moscow - 1985
13. Korea, Pyongyang - 1989
14. Cuba, Havana - 1997
15. Algiers, Algeria - 2001
16. Venezuela, Caracas - 2005
17. South Africa, Pretoria - 2010
18. Ecuador, Quito - 2013
19. - 2017

For the first time in the USSR

The first Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow was held in 1957. It attracted 34,000 participants from 131 countries. This number of delegates remains unsurpassed to date.

The country rejoiced at the opening of the Iron Curtain; the entire Soviet Union and the capital carefully prepared for the festival:

• new hotels were built in Moscow;
• smashed;
• on Central Television A “Festival Editorial Office” was created, which released several programs called “Evening of Fun Questions” (the prototype of modern KVN).

The slogan of the festival “For Peace and Friendship” reflected its atmosphere and mood. Many speeches were made about the need for independence of peoples and the promotion of internationalism. The symbol of the Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow in 1957 was the famous “Dove of Peace”.

The first Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow was remembered not only for its scale, but also for a number of very interesting facts:

• Moscow was covered by a real “sexual revolution”. Young girls eagerly met foreign guests and began fleeting romances with them. Entire squads were created to combat this phenomenon. They went out onto the streets of Moscow at night and caught such couples. Foreigners were not touched, but Soviet young ladies had a hard time: the vigilantes cut off part of their hair with scissors or clippers so that the girls had no choice but to cut their hair bald. 9 months after the festival, dark-skinned citizens began to appear. They were called that way - “Children of the Festival.”
• At the closing ceremony, the song “Moscow Nights” was played, performed by Edita Piekha and Marisa Liepa. Until now, many foreigners associate Russia with this composition.
• As one of the journalists who came to Moscow then noted, Soviet citizens did not want to allow foreigners into their homes (he believed that the authorities had instructed them to do so), but on the streets Muscovites communicated with them very willingly.

Twelfth, or second

The twelfth overall, and the second in Moscow, the Festival of Youth and Students was held in 1985. In addition to the participants (there were 26,000 of them from 157 countries), many famous people also took part in the festival:

• Mikhail Gorbachev delivered a greeting at the opening; The “peace race” was opened by the chairman of the Olympic Committee Samaranch;
• Anatoly Karpov showed his mastery of playing chess on a thousand boards at the same time;
• on music venues German musician Udo Lindenberg performed.

Not the same anymore?

Such freedom of speech as in 1957 was no longer observed. According to the party’s recommendations, all discussions should have been limited to a certain range of issues specified in the document. They tried to avoid provocative questions or accused the speaker of incompetence. However, most of the Festival participants did not come for political discussions, but for the sake of communicating with delegates from other countries and making new friends.

The closing ceremony of the Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow took place at the Lenin Stadium (current Luzhniki Stadium). In addition to the speeches of delegates and political figures from different countries, famous and popular artists, for example, Valery Leontyev presented his songs, scenes from " Swan Lake"performed by the Bolshoi Theater troupe.

Nineteenth, or third

In 2015, it became known that the 2017 festival would be hosted by Russia for the third time (although, to be precise, Russia is hosting it for the first time, because the previous two times the host country was the USSR).

On June 7, 2016, the cities where the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students will be held were named - Moscow and Sochi.

In Russia, as always, they began to prepare for the upcoming event with zeal. In October 2016, a clock was installed in front of the Moscow State University building, counting down the days until the start of the Festival. This event was marked by the passing of GTO standards, a presentation of world cuisines, and a concert with the participation of Russian stars. Similar events took place not only in Moscow, but also in many other cities.

The opening of the Festival of Youth and Students took place, starting from and walking 8 km to the Luzhniki sports complex, where it took place grand concert with the participation of modern stars Russian stage. The finale of the holiday was a large fireworks display that lasted 15 minutes.

The grand opening took place in Sochi, where artists and speakers of the festival also performed.

Festival program - 2017

The program of the festival of youth and students in Moscow and Sochi was very eventful. The capital was assigned the role of “framing” the event, its colorful opening and closing. The main events took place in Sochi:

• During the cultural program there was jazz festival, organized by Igor Butman, performed by Manizha, who gained fame on the Instagram network. The participants watched the play "Revolution Square. 17" performed by the "Moscow Theater of Poets" and enjoyed the music of the multinational symphony orchestra and even took part in a dance battle from Yegor Druzhinin.
• The sports program also included many events: passing GTO standards, master classes, a 2017 meter race, meetings with famous Russian athletes.
• No less extensive and important has become educational program festival During it, participants met with scientists, businessmen, politicians and experts in various fields of science, visited numerous exhibitions and lectures, and took part in discussions and master classes.

The final day of the Festival was marked by the personal presence of Vladimir Putin. He addressed the participants with a parting speech.

The World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow ended on October 22. The organizers prepared an impressive pyrotechnic show with music written specifically for the closing of the Festival.

The festival of youth and students in Moscow is becoming richer and brighter every year. He will probably not return to our country as soon as we would like, because there are still many states that want to accept him on their territory. In the meantime, we will carefully preserve the memory of the three festivals we have held and wait for new victories and discoveries from Russian youth.