White Cranes Festival in 2022: history and traditions
It is no coincidence that these noble birds have become a symbol of an important memorable day for many countries and peoples of the world. Let’s talk about the history of the White Cranes Festival and what date it will be celebrated in 2022

The CP will tell you about the history of the creation of the White Cranes Festival and introduce you to its traditions.

What date is the White Cranes Festival

For the first time, the White Cranes Festival was celebrated in August 1986 in Dagestan – then it was timed to coincide with the opening of the first monument depicting cranes dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

Over time, the tradition of celebrating this memorable date migrated to other regions of the country and beyond. And in 2009, UNESCO officially registered the White Cranes Festival in the international calendar of memorable dates and set the date for the celebration – 22 October, This day will also be celebrated in 2022. 

Interesting facts about the holiday

Why the craneIn the culture of different peoples, the crane personifies a positive, even holy beginning. In Ancient Our Country, the crane was a symbol of patience and obedience. In Japanese culture, it is associated with well-being and longevity. In Chinese philosophy, it is a symbol of immortality. In African countries, the crane is considered the messenger of the gods to mankind. In domestic literature, including those dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, cranes have become a symbol of the immortality of the soul.
“Crane Monuments”With the birth of the holiday, “crane monuments” began to be erected in different cities. The first such monument depicting birds was opened in 1986 in the village of Gunib (Dagestan). Currently, there are more than two dozen such memorials in Our Country and abroad.
The song is the anthem of the dayFor the first time the famous song “Cranes” Mark Bernes performed in 1968 in the editorial office of the newspaper ” Healthy Food Near Me” at a meeting of war veterans, where famous military leaders were present. And in 2014, the crane appeared on the emblem of the Immortal Regiment movement. 

history of the holiday

The Dagestan poet and writer Rasul Gamzatov, having visited the iconic places that keep the memory of the Great Patriotic War, in 1965 created the poem “Cranes”. 

In this work, the flight of cranes is the embodiment of spiritual and bodily rebirth. It was Rasul Gamzatov who proposed to celebrate the White Cranes Day as a day of remembrance and respect for the victims of wars. The idea was approved: a holiday was celebrated in Dagestan, and later other countries of Our Country and the CIS took over the baton. 

In 1968, the Soviet actor and singer Mark Bernes recorded a song based on “Cranes”, which became popular. To this day, it sounds from speakers at demonstrations and parades in every city in the country.

Holiday traditions

The White Cranes Festival is designed to strengthen friendly relations between the peoples of multinational Our Country. Every year on October 22, a huge number of people bring flowers to the memorials and graves of fallen soldiers and thank for the peaceful sky above their heads. 

Also on this day, it is customary to hold literary evenings with the participation of poets and writers, where new works on the theme of peace, war and humanity are heard. In educational institutions and libraries, special thematic lessons and evenings are organized, volunteers and various organizations organize memorial events and launch paper white cranes into the sky.

The main goal of these events is to preserve and convey to future generations the importance of those terrible events and prevent their repetition. 

Popular questions and answers

The KP answers the most interesting questions from readers about the White Cranes Festival.

Why is the white crane in the name of the holiday?

The title is based on lines from Rasul Gamzatov’s poem “The Cranes”. The author presented the dead soldiers in the form of white cranes. He came up with this image while in Japan, where he saw beautiful white birds that arrived for the winter.

How can you show solidarity on the White Cranes Festival?

On this day, flowers are brought to the Eternal Flame, to the monuments of the unknown soldier, to the burial places. You can attend specially organized poetry meetings and literary readings in schools, libraries, writers’ clubs in your city. There is also such a tradition – to visit the homeland of Rasul Gamzatov in Dagestan, where he first published this poem and became the founder of the holiday.

How did the song “Cranes” come about?

Rasul Gamzatov’s poem “The Cranes”, published in 1965, was liked by Mark Bernes, an actor and musician known at that time as a performer of lyrical ballads. According to legend, he was just looking for the basis for his new song. The singer made minor changes to the work of Rasul Gamzatov and recorded the song from the first time, which became an unofficial anthem in memory of the fallen soldiers.

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