May 9th: Celebrating Victory Day in Lutsk, Ukraine
In most of the former Soviet Union, May 9 still marks Victory Day, a holiday commemorating the capitulation of the Nazis to the Soviet Union in World War II. Since the fall of the USSR, this holiday has been adapted to align symbolically with new national holidays in many of the former Soviet republics. In Lutsk, a town of about 206,000* people in Volynska Oblast in western Ukraine, Victory Day both venerates the city’s triumph over the Fascist occupation in World War II and celebrates the country’s independent status. The following photos portray how a Ukrainian nationalist part of the country honors Victory Day.
*Population statistic taken from (http://www.lutsk.ua/english/modern_city.html)
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- 1. Flower bed (2008): This flower bed on Lutsk’s main street, “Prospekt Voli,” symbolizes Ukraine’s national colors.
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- 2. Memorial Obelisk (2008): In Lutsk, the Memorial to the Glory of the Defenders of the Fatherland commemorates the victory over Fascism.
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- 3. Grave adorned with flowers (2008): The Memorial was purportedly built over a former Polish Roman-Catholic cemetery. Veterans and Ukrainians visit the memorial on Victory Day to honor the dead with flowers.
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- 4. Veteran paying respect (2008): In Lutsk, the Memorial to the Eternal Glory of Lutsk commemorates the liberation of Lutsk from the Fascist occupiers in February 1944. The wall lists the villages from which the Ukrainian troops came from in the fight against the Nazis. This veteran pays his respect.
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- 5. Wreath amongst villages (2008): A flower wreath with a ribbon in the Ukrainian national colors rests against a section of the wall between villages from which the troops came from.
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- 6. Memorial to civilians (2008): This memorial honors the innocent civilians who perished during the occupation. On a marble slab to the right is a dedication honoring the dead (see next photo).
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- 7. Dedication to Volynska and Ukrainian civilians (2008): “In the years 1942-44, the Nazis forcibly separated thousands of Volyn civilians from their native homes and forced them to endure humiliation in concentration camps, ghettos, barbaric medical experiments in hard labor work beyond the borders of their fatherland. We remember about this, those who perished from hunger and illness, firing squads and burnings in crematoriums, who gave their life in the struggle on the road to freedom.” Translation by author.
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- 8. Parade (2009): The celebration of Victory Day also commemorates Ukraine’s independence in 1991. Reminiscent of the Soviet style display of armament, this parade begins with a display of Ukraine’s modern troops.
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- 9. Reenactment troops (2009): Following the contemporary troops are the World War II-era re-enactment troops.
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- 10. Soviet-era veterans (2009): Finally, the veterans follow.
These photos were taken by Derek Hom, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Lutsk, Ukraine, from 2007 to 2009. He is currently a MA candidate at the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies in the Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies. Derek is studying Post-Soviet security affairs focusing on Ukrainian affairs and Black Sea Security. This summer, Derek will study Russian language in Odessa, Ukraine, through a Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) award.
This photo journal is also featured in the Spring/Summer 2010 REECAS Newsletter published by the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies, Ellison Center for Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies (http://depts.washington.edu/jsishelp/ellison/)
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