Happy New Year 2019!
What have you been doing New Year’s Eve 1987? I was in Kremlin, Moscow. Every year the huge New Year Event took part in Kremlin State Palace. Only with some pertinent connections, luck or circumstances you could get a ticket there.
We had neither connections (fortunately), nor luck in this regard (lucky me, actually, if you ask). Back to that time I was an ordinary pupil of an ordinary Moscow school. But since our class achieved an extraordinary success in all-Soviet math competitions, we have got special invitation to that glorious Kremlin New Year Event — along with many other school groups from all over USSR.
I was never a friend of propaganda — neither back to the USSR, nor now — in Western areas. Because wherever you live — you are living in propaganda biased reality.
The probably only difference between Soviet and Western Propaganda is — people of USSR did pretty well know, they were surrounded by political, economical and social deceptions.
So we — school children of an Empire on the course towards the collapse (4 years later there was August Coup) — were pretty amused about the contents of the New Year Event. Now just imagine this overwhelming story.
Do you know Дед Мороз? Ded Moroz is the Russian counterpart of Santa Clause, he appears always along with his granddaughter, Snegurochka (Снегурочка). Here both are taking break between delivering New Year presents to the Soviet children:
Anyway, the story was clear and obvious. In short:
- Ded Moroz was kidnapped by a Western Imperialist Secret Agent (presumably from USA and presumably by CIA, but not clearly defined — to prevent diplomatic issues during the hot times of Perestroika [even if Kremlin never seriously cared about])
- Snegurochka keeps a clear head: with help of present juvenile audience she calls KGB (also not clearly defined as KGB, but everybody got the message, seeing courageous hero in specific uniform)
- Action! Boom! Zoom! Voo-rooom! Enemies are defeated, Ded Moroz is back to carry out his duty: Delivering presents to the kids. Happy end.
Quite goofy plot with funny special effects. But actually, everybody in the Hall of the State Kremlin Palace wasn’t after this.
We were waiting till the end, to get this one:
This plastic box.
It was a tricky way to open it: you had to collect your whole power to unscrew the round cap. And when you did it — you discovered the finest pralines and sweets, you couldn’t get in any confectionary of Soviet Union or even Moscow.
Now it’s empty for more than 30 years. USSR doesn’t exist anymore. But slight sweet fragrance is still lasting in the corners inside of this time traveler.
Many things happened since those times. The world has changed — it’s in permanent change. But memories are still here. Memories about weird epoch of a weird country.
One day also our TODAY will become weird. Happy New Year. Happy New Weirdness — without cold war, but with finest pralines and great memories.
