Day of Remembrance and Sorrow - the day of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War (1941)

Both in the media and in everyday life, the period from May 9, 1945 until the collapse of the USSR in the 90s of the last century was most often called the post-war period And every resident of the USSR at that time, even a preschooler, knew that on a tragic day for our country - June 22, 1941 - at four o'clock in the morning, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war Now, as opinion polls show, few young people remember why in 1992 this particular day was declared the Day of Remembrance of Defenders of the Fatherland, and in 1996, by presidential decree, it became the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow Almost every family of the older and middle generations of today's Russians, as well as the families of the peoples of the former republics of the USSR, the Great Patriotic War brought its share of grief, deprivation and loss Some of their relatives never returned from the war, some of their loved ones went missing, some returned, but as disabled Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers contributed to the approach and achievement of Victory Some fought on the fronts, others carried out partisan activities, others, even children, worked 12-16 hours a day in the rear, firing cartridges and shells Women sewed uniforms and donated warm clothes to front-line soldiers, plowed the land, and donated not only strength and health to the front, but also funds accumulated by many years of hard work Scientists and engineers developed designs for tanks, guns, airplanes and other equipment needed by the front, and women, old people and children, sometimes spending the night in workshops, assembled them in factories On this day, they remember and mourn the soldiers killed in battle, the victims tortured in concentration camps, and ordinary people who died of hunger and deprivation On June 22, on the territory of Russia they are greeted with a minute of silence and the ringing of bells, state flags are lowered, the front-line soldiers and civilians who died in this monstrous war are remembered, entertainment events and programs are canceled, and films about war and heroism are broadcast instead Schools and other educational institutions hold classes and lessons dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, and students prepare reports on a military theme There are exhibitions and conferences covering this topic and enlightening young people who have begun to forget their own history On June 22, ordinary people, participants in the Great Patriotic War, contemporaries and descendants of people who survived the war or died in it, bring flowers to monuments and memorials, light candles in memory of those who suffered and died in the war And in the capital, on Vorobyovy Gory, young people, together with the few surviving veterans, tie bells to tree branches, the mournful ringing of which does not allow us to forget about the cost of our people’s victory in this war Funeral services are held in all Russian churches