Krasnodar, 3 May – Yug Times. Our today’s interviewee is Galina Dreyenko, agricultural labour veteran and bearer of the Lenin Order.

Q.: We are talking on the eve of May Day, the Feast of Spring and Labour. In the Soviet time, it was a very special day. Do you remember your first May Day?

A.: It was in my school years when I began to associate May day with some largescale festivity. When we were summoned to take part in demonstrations, every student wanted to carry some slogan. We marched in columns to the place where a rally would be held – and all participants of this mass activity were marching joyfully, without any pressure.

When we celebrated May Day at work, it was also an emotional excitement. We were glad to take part in the ‘socialist emulation drives’ held team-wise and farmwise. We would be getting prepared for this special day.

The day began with a solemn rally with trooping of the Colour of Labour Glory. If it was our team that was decorated with this honorary banner this particular time as a result of our work, our workers would bring it onto the stage and put it on a special pedestal; if other teams won the emulation – they would troop the banner. Our kolkhoz (collective farm) had a brass orchestra which would play the USSR anthem.

Then the chairman reviewed the results of the work, so that the banner could be taken away from the stage by somebody else. Best workers would be elected to the presidium of the rally. The festivity was concluded with a concert. After the solemn part, the work teams would summon to take part in the demonstration. We marched in columns: labour veterans first, then the brass orchestra, followed by the colour bearers, the schoolchildren, and then all workers. Of course, people had their own way to celebrate this day - somebody would go for a picnic, others celebrated at home. Well, on the following day we all understood that beet-roots were waiting for us - and we resumed our work.


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