Eternal flame in Russia and in the world: the history of tradition. Eternal flame

The news emphasized that this particular Eternal Flame was the first in the USSR. In the late 1990s, it stopped burning continuously and was lit from a gas cylinder only once a year on May 9th. In the spring of 2013, a reconstruction was carried out, as a result of which it became possible to resume the permanent operation of the Eternal Flame. The “return” ceremony took place on May 6, on the eve of Victory Day. The first part of the ceremony was held in the regional center on Victory Square, the second - in the village itself. According to the employees of the local museum of local lore and a veteran of the war, an eyewitness and participant in those events, the Eternal Flame on the mass grave was lit at the initiative of a front-line soldier, director of the local gas plant, on May 9, 1955, and two years later, in 1957, a monument was erected "Grieving Warrior", after which the memorial took its modern form.

The eternal flame on the Field of Mars in Leningrad was lit on November 6, 1957, and in Sevastopol on Malakhov Kurgan on February 23, 1958. Consequently, the first Eternal Flame in the USSR was lit in the village near Tula. Until 2013, almost no one knew about this.

According to preliminary information, the ceremony was to begin in Tula on Victory Square at 9.00 and then continue in the village itself. To be sure, I tried to find more detailed information about the event on the Internet, but to no avail. This surprised me, since the program for the celebration of May 9 in the regional center was posted on all news portals of the city a few weeks before the holiday itself. Later it turned out that the event is closed and involves the presence of only specially invited guests.

In 1941, there was a field on this site, along which the front line of the city's defense passed. For 45 days, in October-December 1941, Tula was almost completely surrounded, subjected to artillery and mortar fire, air raids, but the city was not surrendered. After the war, it grew rapidly; on the territory where the fighting took place, a bus station, a hotel, residential and administrative buildings were built, the space between them was landscaped and made pedestrian, and in 1965 it turned into Victory Square. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi invaders near Moscow (1966), Tula was awarded the Order of Lenin, and ten years later, on December 7, 1976, he was awarded the title of "Hero City" with the Gold Star medal.

At the foot of the monument, the Eternal Flame burns, lit from the flame from the tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall in Moscow and delivered to Tula in an armored personnel carrier, accompanied by an honorary escort of motorcyclists, as well as a car with participants in the defense of the city. The right to light the Eternal Flame was granted to the leaders of regional party organizations and defense participants. In the Soviet period, a “post number one” was installed at the memorial, which was carried daily, replacing each other, by Tula Komsomol members and pioneers.

On May 6, 2013, a torch lit from the memorial on Victory Square was to be taken from Tula to the village of Pervomaisky. The square is a developed social space: it is a pedestrian zone, benches are installed along its perimeter, from early morning until late evening it is filled with citizens and guests of the city. According to my observations, regardless of the degree of proximity to Victory Day, in good weather the memorial is often photographed and spent time by the townspeople and visitors.

Coming out to the square, I saw several policemen in front of anti-aircraft guns standing in front of the memorial: the area around the monument was cordoned off, only invitations were allowed inside. Parked on the road were two Pobeda cars and an open military vintage car with a portable fire burner in the trunk. By this time, a guard of two cadets from the artillery school was already standing at the memorial, the cadets were also on both sides of the road leading to the car with the burner. As it turned out later, this was the route of the torchbearer. Passing people stopped for a few minutes, watching the action, and then continued on their way. I had already resigned myself to the fact that I would not be able to get closer, but one of the policemen asked me in surprise: “So you just want to take a picture?” - then allowed to go through the cordon. So I ended up at the ceremony.

The topography of the ceremony was as follows. If you turn your back on the avenue, to the right of the "Three Bayonets" and the Eternal Flame were six veterans (of war and labor), behind them were young people in tunics of the war years. Next to the veterans were the governor of the region, his deputies and representatives of public organizations, as well as the hosts of the ceremony - all had St. George ribbons on their chests. Opposite the memorial were groups of young people: junior students and cadets. The rest of the space around the flame, between veterans and youth, was occupied by journalists from federal and local TV channels, as well as print media. Students of the Tula State University took part in the torch lighting ceremony: as part of the “Flame of Victory” campaign, they brought plastic lamps lit from the Eternal Flames in other hero cities of the country.

The event started around 9 am and lasted approximately 20 minutes. The commemorative action was opened by a metronome counting seconds. The hosts (a man and a woman) read verses that said that "fire is a symbol of memory." Further, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, an honorary citizen of Tula, addressed the audience with words of greeting, urging the younger generation to remember this war and be “always ready to defend their homeland, which has many enemies.” The governor of the region emphasized that the transfer of the torch to light the Eternal Flame in the village of Pervomaisky is a unique and important event, that "we should not be Ivans who do not remember kinship, we should be people who know how to defend their victory." As in 1968, a student activist spoke, but this time from the Tula State University. The culmination of the ceremony was the lighting of the torch by the governor and the veteran. Then the veteran carried a lighted torch through the guard of honor of the artillerymen with a marching step, from this torch a mobile gas burner built into the car was lit. After that, the fire went as part of an honorary column of retro cars and bikers to the village of Pervomaisky. In the meantime, students and cadets laid red carnations at the memorial and took pictures in front of it.

In Pervomaisky, the solemn rally began at about 10.30 and lasted for about an hour. The venue was a memorial located on the territory of the village, at the intersection of the Tula-Shchekino road (part of the Simferopol federal highway) and the highway connecting Pervomaisky with the city-forming chemical enterprise. The memorial is a complex, the main monument of which is a sculptural group of two grieving warriors (sometimes the monument is called the "Grieving Warrior"). In front of the monument is the Eternal Flame and four mass graves. The remains of soldiers and officers of the 217th and 290th are buried in the graves rifle divisions 50th Army, who fell in the battles for the defense and liberation of the villages of the Shchekino region: Vorobyovka, Kochaki, Yasenki, Kaznacheevka, Yasnaya Polyana, Staraya Kolpna, Grumants, Myasoedovo, Baburinka, Deminka, Telyatinki, as well as those who died from wounds and diseases in hospitals. In total, 75 people were buried in mass graves. Of these, the names of 44 are known, and they are carved on memorial plaques.

Young people stood around the perimeter of the memorial, their T-shirts and caps formed a repeatedly repeated Russian flag, they held plastic lamps in their hands. The police were present, but very inconspicuously and in much smaller numbers than in Tula. It was possible to move freely throughout the territory, there was only one unspoken taboo - not to damage a fresh lawn.

In front of the memorial, employees of the local museum of local lore set up a mobile exhibition with archival photographs, including those from the opening of the monument, and finds from the local search team. One of the main exhibits was a copy of a photograph depicting the lighting of the Eternal Flame by the director of the gas plant, front-line soldier Sergei Jobadze, and a pioneer schoolgirl. According to the director of the museum, on the back of the original photo there is an inscription made by hand: "May 9, 1955" - this valuable exhibit was handed over to the museum by the director's widow. Part of the exposition was devoted to his military and labor merits. Also presented was a chronicle of the discovery of the Eternal Lights in the USSR, which began in Pervomaisk.

The ceremony of "return" according to its program was very reminiscent of the celebration of May 9th. The audience at the event was the most diverse: representatives of the administration; collectives of employees of gas and chemical enterprises, which in different time curated the memorial; war and labor veterans; schoolchildren, cadets, soldiers, students, pensioners. There was a feeling of celebration, which was facilitated by the sounding of military songs and the concert program of the local creative team, which began after the official words of welcome.

The audience was addressed by the governor, heads of the municipality and local administration, as well as the leadership of the gas companies that installed the new burner. Its installers (gas welder, excavator driver, repairman) were awarded certificates of gratitude . After melody recitations on the theme of memory and the Eternal Flame as its symbol, the Tula veteran lit a torch from a mobile burner and handed it over to 91-year-old veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Honored Teacher of Russia, a resident of the village of Pervomaisky Vasily Novikov, who, with the help of the cadets, lit the Eternal Flame. “I want to appeal to the younger generation,” the veteran said. “Take care of Russia, make it a great and invincible power!” . This was followed by a dance performance with lamps, given by a local amateur group, after which the hosts invited all those present to lay flowers, wreaths and a traditional garland of fir branches, which is woven annually by teenagers from the village special school. Senior schoolchildren laid out the words “We remember” with icon lamps (later assembled by teachers), then a gun salute thundered. The ceremony ended with a small concert, after which mass photography began against the backdrop of the monument and the Eternal Flame. Veterans were not released by journalists for a long time and locals who wanted to take a picture or give flowers.

Here is how Vasily Novikov told journalists about the lighting of the Eternal Flame:

“Death is oblivion ... The eternal flame was lit on May 9, 1955. The monument was opened in 1957. Burials were moved here from the local cemetery. The first reburial was in 1948. I went to the front at the age of 18. Was a pilot. When the fire was lit, I was 33 years old. It was sunny, the same as today, only warmer, the weather, in the end it started to rain warmly. There were a lot of people, even more than now. Everyone was cheerful, life was getting better. The memory of the war and the Victory was everywhere, only ten years had passed. Now, looking at the Eternal Flame, thoughts come to the fire of war, killing people, and peaceful fire. As soon as the fire went out, there was resentment: how is it, this is a memory ... But we understand that there were such times. I want to wish young people to love Russia!”

Fire in sacred and public spaces

Fire as a sacred element or a sign of the presence of a deity exists in many mythologies, religions and cults. Constantly or for a certain time, a maintained flame in a specially designated place is found in ritual practices dedicated to the gods (Zoroastrianism), the king and warriors (Medes), priests (Persia), pastoralists and farmers (Parthia). Fire temples were founded everywhere in honor of victories. AT Old Testament contains an instruction to constantly keep the fire in the altar.

In the tabernacle and in the Jerusalem temple until its re-destruction by the Romans in 70, there was a menorah - a golden seven-barreled lamp, which was lit by the high priest at dusk and burned all night. An eternal flame was maintained inside the temple of Delphi Apollo in Greece. The Temple of Vesta in Rome symbolized the main hearth - the "hearth of the state", until in 394, by order of Emperor Theodosius, it was closed.

in Catholic and Orthodox churches eternal light - a lamp or a candle, meaning the constant presence of the Holy Spirit - burns in front of the tabernacle. In Orthodox churches, continuous burning is also maintained in unquenchable lamps in front of a particularly revered shrine (icon, relics and graves of revered saints).

Of the folk rituals, the custom of the South Russian peasants at Christmas time to “warm the dead” (or “parents”), the purpose of which is to warm the deceased relatives and increase productivity, is closest to this tradition. Dmitry Zelenin attributed this custom to the cult of ancestors and the agricultural cult.

In public space, the first fire was lit on the anniversary of the signing of the armistice in World War I on November 11, 1923, at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. After this war, in many participating countries, ceremonial reburials of the remains of unidentified fallen soldiers were carried out.

Eternal flame in the USSR

By 1937, the Eternal Flame had been lit on the graves of the Unknown Soldier in Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. In the USSR, one of the most famous is the Eternal Flame on the Field of Mars in St. Petersburg. In most studies, it is considered to be the first in the USSR, which is not surprising, given its location and ideological significance. In 1917, a public burial of revolutionaries and victims of armed street clashes was carried out on the Champ de Mars. The first reconstruction of this memorial was carried out in 1920, as a result of which a square with a monumental fence around the graves of fighters for the victory of the revolution was laid out. The tombstone "with an inextinguishable lamp" at the burial place of the victims of the Great October Socialist Revolution was built in the fall of 1957 on the eve of its 40th anniversary.

There are two versions of who and how lit the Eternal Flame on the Field of Mars. According to one of them, it was the steelmaker Zhukovsky, who lit it with a torch from open-hearth furnace No. 1 from the Kirov plant. According to another, more substantiated version, based on an article in Leningradskaya Pravda, it was lit by Praskovya Kulyabko, the oldest communist in Leningrad, and V.N. Smirnov. However, another worker of the Kirov Plant, Pyotr Zaichenko, on May 9, 1960, lit a torch from the fire on the Field of Mars to open a memorial at the Piskarevsky cemetery. It is noteworthy that in the same article in Leningradskaya Pravda and in the Bulletin of the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council of Workers, the decision to open the tombstone and light the fire in the autumn of 1957 is presented as an exclusively local, Leningrad, initiative of the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council of Workers' Deputies and personally the first secretary of the Leningrad City Party Committee.

The lighting of the Eternal Flame on the Field of Mars realized the idea of ​​the People's Commissar of Education Anatoly Lunacharsky about self-sacrifice in the name of the common good, which ensures the memory, and hence the immortality of the heroes. It was he who developed the inscriptions for the granite memorial of 1919, dedicated to the fighters of the revolution:

“Not victims - heroes lie under this grave. Not grief, but envy gives birth to your fate in the hearts of all grateful descendants. In those terrible red days you lived gloriously and died beautifully.”

Despite the fact that the Eternal Flame was lit almost 40 years after the creation of this epitaph, the idea of ​​the continuity of generations and the memory of descendants was embodied in the opening ceremony itself, in which representatives of several generations of Soviet people took part.

The history of the memorial in Pervomaisky

As already mentioned, the “return” of the Eternal Flame to Pervomaisky became a noticeable informational occasion in the local press. Naturally, I was interested in the fact that the first Eternal Flame in the USSR was lit not in Leningrad and Moscow, but in a small workers' settlement; that the initiators of its ignition were front-line soldiers working at the plant, and not high-ranking Soviet ideologists. A pilot survey conducted at the solemn rally on May 9 showed an almost complete lack of historical knowledge about the memorial (not duplicating information given in the media) among respondents in the age group under 70 and / or among people who are not related to the memorial due to their professional responsibilities. Therefore, I decided that in order to study the history of the memorial, the most productive method would be interviews and conversations with experts, who were chosen from the administration of Pervomaisky (military registration desk), the municipal archive, the military registration and enlistment office and the local history museum of the city of Shchekino, veterans of war and labor, and also an activist of the local youth association.

In written sources, I found two options for dating the creation of the memorial and the lighting of the Eternal Flame: September 1956 and May 9, 1957. The first, most accessible source was a very informative site of the municipality of Pervomaisky. When reading the "Historical Reference" I was surprised by its tonality: a lot of personal memories and details. As it turned out later, the certificate was an almost verbatim extract from the memoirs of Pyotr Sharov, the director of the Shchekino Chemical Combine (1962-1976). These memoirs are the most comprehensive chronicle of the village and the memorial, they mention 1956 as the date of the creation of the monument:

"Within the territory of former village Kochaki, where the administrative settlement (now called Provisional) was located, next to the St. Nicholas Church, there was a mass grave, on which stood a small wooden obelisk with a star. During the construction of the village in 1948, it was decided to transfer the remains of the dead soldiers to a new burial place. A new mass grave was arranged on the site of a modern monument, a concrete obelisk with a fence was installed above it. In 1956, on the initiative of the local military registration and enlistment office, the remains of the fallen soldiers were transported from different places in the region to the location of the concrete obelisk. Immediately the question arose about the construction of a new monument with tombstones and the Eternal Flame.

My next step was to search for information about the memorial in local history literature. In the two most detailed works on local history of the Shchekino region, this memorial is written extremely sparingly. For example, in one of them the whole sentence is dedicated to him: “The eternal flame burns on mass graves and at the obelisks in Shchekino and the village of Pervomaisky”. A little more information is contained in another work: "A monument was erected on the mass grave of Soviet soldiers in 1956 and the first Eternal Flame in the area was lit." Thus, 1956 is once again indicated as the year of lighting the Eternal Flame, which, however, did not bring final clarity to this issue.

In the absence of information, I also studied the stages of development of the plant. It turned out that the Shchekino gas plant was put into operation on May 15-17, 1955, then domestic gas was supplied to Tula, and the first stage of the Moscow-Shchekino gas pipeline was launched on May 30. It is known that the gas for the Eternal Flame was local, that is, it is logical to assume that the ignition of the Eternal Flame and the start-up of the plant should have been interconnected. In addition, I met two versions of when the village was gasified. One by one - in 1956, the first in the Shchekino region. According to the local newspaper Shchekinsky Khimik, the village was gasified after the Shchekinsky gas plant was launched in 1955, at the same time the director of the enterprise proposed to light the Eternal Flame on a mass grave.

It must be said that the start-up of the plant was premature, the enterprise was not ready for it: almost immediately three out of four gas generators failed, expensive dismantling and re-assembly of structures were required; as a result, the old director of the plant was removed, and Sergei Jobadze, a front-line soldier and experienced organizer, was appointed in his place. By the autumn of 1956, the plan was still not being fulfilled by the plant, since it was officially launched in May 1955, but in fact it still continued to be mounted. As a result, the Moscow gas pipeline was connected to the Stavropol-Tula natural gas pipeline. In 1957, the plant began to operate at full capacity. Thus, the lighting of the Eternal Flame in Pervomaiskoye was not only closely connected with the fresh memory of the war, but was also an inspiring symbol of the final start-up of the plant, new for the gas production area, which was so hard for everyone who worked on it in this post-war decade.

The next stage of my research was the study of the filing for the 1950s of the district newspaper, which during its existence was renamed several times and at different times was called Iskra (1931-1934), Shchekinsky Miner (1936-1954) and Banner of Communism "(since 1955) (now the newspaper is called Shchekinsky Khimik"). In the reports on the celebration of Victory Day for 1955 and 1956, there was no mention of the opening of the Eternal Flame in Pervomaisky, however, according to these reports, the celebration of May 9 at that time can be reconstructed. They talk about the solemn anniversary of the 10th anniversary of the Victory, rallies that took place on mass graves and at monuments. The real find was an article in the "Banner of Communism" dated May 12, 1957. This is how the “ceremonial rally” was described in that celebratory issue:

“Here, at the rally dedicated to the opening of the monument, on May 9, thousands of workers of the gas plant, the Shchekingazstroy trust and other enterprises, employees of institutions, school students gathered. At five o'clock in the evening, Comrade Strizhkov, chairman of the village council, opened the rally. Anthem sounds Soviet Union. There is a small marble arch in front of the grave of the soldiers. On it is carved: "The memory of you will not fade for centuries." Pioneer Lyuba Korotkikh comes up to the arch and lights a gas torch. The director of the gas plant, comrade Jobadze, and the manager of the Shchekingazstroy trust, comrade Volkov, remove the white cloth from the monument - and a sculptural group appears before the thousands of people gathered: two warriors with uncovered heads on a marble pedestal. One, bowed, holds a wreath, and the other - a battle banner. On the pedestal is inscribed in gold: Eternal glory Heroes-warriors of the Soviet Army and partisans who fell in the battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The floor is given to the Secretary of the Shchekino City Committee of the CPSU Comrade Ukhabov. He speaks of the glorious military exploits accomplished by the Soviet people under the leadership of the Communist Party during the Great Patriotic War. One after another, representatives of the working people speak: Comrade Rakhmanov, manager of the Shchekingazstroy trust Comrade Volkov, deputy chairman of the factory committee of the gas plant, Comrade Pisarevskaya, a fourth grade student Bazderev. Representatives of enterprises, institutions, public organizations, schools lay wreaths at the foot of the monument. Fireworks fired three times. The mournful melody is replaced by the mighty wave of the Anthem of the Soviet Union. The rally is over. The memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for our beloved Motherland will never fade in the hearts of the Soviet people.

It follows from the article that on the evening of May 9, 1957, six months earlier than on the Field of Mars, in the village of Pervomaisky, Shchekino District, Tula Region, at the opening of the memorial to those who fell in the battles for the liberation of the motherland in the Great Patriotic War, the Eternal Flame was lit. Thus, it is the first Eternal Flame in the USSR, dedicated to memory heroes of the Great Patriotic War, and in general - the first Eternal Flame in the USSR.

I was interested not only in the date of discovery, but also in the authorship of the monument. In the work of the bibliographer of the Shchekino Municipal Central Library, dedicated to all the memorials of the Great Patriotic War in the Shchekino region, there is information that the monument was made at the Kaluga Plant of Monumental Sculpture (now the Kaluga Sculpture Factory) and its author is unknown. The monument was accepted for state protection on April 9, 1969 by decision of the Tuloblispolkom. In this work, 1957 is indicated as the year of the “capital equipment of the grave”: the installation of a sculptural monument and the Eternal Flame, which is listed as an “unquenchable torch” in the inventory of the memorial.

According to the historical information on the site of the village and the memoirs of Petr Sharov, the sculptural group was ordered from Kyiv architectural workshops, and the design of the pedestal and the layout were developed by the plant's managers together with the architect Ekaterina Nezhurbida. Granite, facing and tombstones were brought from Moscow. The first flare gas was supplied from a gas plant, then it was switched to natural gas.

I had an idea of ​​how the discrepancy in dating could have happened after I got acquainted with the registration cards of military memorials with burials in the military commissariat for the Tula region in the Shchekino district. According to these documents, there are 17 military graves in the Shchekino region, which were equipped from 1949 to 1971. Among them, 14 monuments were made at the Kaluga Plant of Monumental Sculpture, as evidenced by their registration cards - in some cases it is indicated that the author is unknown or that this is a mass production. The May Day memorial card only notes that the author is unknown, but the place of manufacture is not indicated, and 1957 is also indicated as the date of creation. Perhaps this confused the compiler of a very detailed edition of the area's memorials.

In local history literature and local periodicals, I looked not only for dates, but also for references emphasizing that the May Day Eternal Flame was the first in the USSR. I only found this in an article by the secretary of the VLKSM committee of the Azot plant, which also repeats the opening date of the memorial in 1956 and emphasizes the assistance of Sergei Jobadze in implementing this initiative:

“There are many such monuments in middle lane Russia was left by the war, but this monument is special. Exactly 24 years ago, on May 9, 1957, the Eternal Flame was lit over the grave. It was the first Eternal Flame dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. It was lit by the workers of the gas plant, now the Azot production association. […] Despite the difficult situation with construction, the former director of the gas plant S.A. Jobadze and the manager of the Shchekingazstroy trust V.A. Volkov allocated funds for the construction of the monument and specialist builders.

Subsequent publications also talk about the construction of the monument in 1956 and that it was the first Eternal Flame in the USSR:

“In September 1956, this monument was erected by the staff of the Shchekino gas plant. And then, for the first time in our country, it was here that the Eternal Flame was lit over the mass grave.

Pyotr Sharov in his memoirs especially emphasizes that this Eternal Flame “was lit for the first time in the Soviet Union. And the workers of our plant did it.

Only the council of Shchekinazot veterans helped me shed light on the confusing situation with dates: as it turned out, the memorial was opened twice. On May 9, 1957, the second opening took place, including the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution, and the first opening of the monument and the lighting of the Eternal Flame took place in September 1956 and was dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the liberation of Shchekin and Yasnaya Polyana from the German fascist invaders (December 1941).

According to the recollections of my informant, in September 1956 a solemn meeting took place, which was attended by a very large number of people. The event was supervised by the Shchekino military registration and enlistment office. The fire was lit by the military: either personnel or participants in the Great Patriotic War, front-line soldiers with the right to wear military uniforms. At that time, the memorial was not fully landscaped (apparently, the perimeter, the borders around the monument, the Eternal Flame and the mass graves were not fully decorated), the design of the burner itself was temporary: household gas for the torch was supplied from the factory. In 1957, it was connected to a natural gas compressor station, and the memorial acquired its final form, which it retained with minor changes until the reconstruction in 2013.

It should be noted that neither in the funds of the former party archive of the Tula region (now the Center recent history) - the archives of the Azot production association and the Shchekino Komsomol, - I did not find any direct evidence of the opening of the monument and the lighting of the Eternal Flame in the minutes of the meetings of the Shchekino City Executive Committee (the Shchekino Municipal Archive). Search in the funds of the State Archives Russian Federation also gave no results.

The main experts on the history of the memorial were the employees of the local museum of local lore, it was they who gave interviews to journalists, organized a traveling museum exhibition at the ceremony of "returning" the Eternal Flame. According to the director of the museum, war and labor veterans who lived and worked in the village in the 1950s were interviewed. It turned out that there were almost no living witnesses to the lighting of the fire: someone was let down by memory - which is not surprising, given their advanced age; someone remembered only the opening of the monument, but did not remember the moment of ignition; someone remembered the crying of women during the reburial of the remains of the fallen. There were conflicting versions. Only one veteran could remember that the Eternal Flame was lit on May 9, 1955, and two years later, in 1957, a monument was erected. The fact that the Eternal Flame is the first in the USSR was told to the director of the museum by the head of the May Day film circle at the House of Culture, who is no longer alive. The museum staff also made an attempt to find either the matured pioneer herself, who lit the Eternal Flame, or information about her, for which an advertisement was placed in the local newspaper. It turned out that she died in an accident in the 1970s. The museum is inclined to the version that the Eternal Flame was lit in 1955, and the monument was opened in 1957, since there is no monument yet in the same archival photograph that captures the opening of the memorial, although the angle suggests its presence.

The first May Day Eternal Flame did not become the main one not only in the USSR, but even in the Tula region, although other lights were lit from it - but only within the Shchekino region. So, on May 9, 1975, a torch with fire from the village of Pervomaisky was delivered by car to the city of Shchekino. On that day, an obelisk stele was opened to the Shchekin soldiers who fell in battles for their Motherland during the Great Patriotic War and the Eternal Flame was lit, at the same time the Eternal Flame was lit on a mass grave in the city of Sovetsk, Shchekino District. The eternal flame in Tula was already lit from the flame from the tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall in October 1968.

Final remarks

The first monuments created on Soviet territory during the war were tombstones on the graves of Red Army soldiers, they were made mainly in the form of obelisk pyramids crowned with a star. The materials from which they were made were the most accessible at that time: wood, stone, brick, gypsum, concrete, sometimes iron. The first military sculptural monuments in the USSR began to be erected in the territories liberated by the Red Army. Researchers note characteristic trends in the monumental memorialization of each post-war decade. For example, it is believed that in the 1950s the most common was the creation of individual monuments to fallen heroes (Alexander Matrosov in Velikiye Luki, the Young Guards in Krasnodon, Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya in Moscow). And the second half of the 1960s (after the large-scale celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Victory) is called the time of the widespread creation of memorial complexes with a repeating set of visual images.

How were these trends realized in local contexts? As a veteran of the search movement told me, under the leadership of the local military, collective farmers were engaged in collecting and searching for the remains of fallen soldiers for workdays. Burials were handled by the district military commissariat. According to his archival information, as of April 2, 1945, in the Shchekino region there were 2 mass graves and 15 individual graves, and in May 1946 there were already 17 mass graves and 8 individual graves.

On April 5, 1945 and May 29, 1946, the executive committee of the Shchekino District Executive Committee of Workers' Deputies approved the resolution "On the improvement and cultural maintenance of fraternal and individual officer and Red Army graves located on the territory of the district", according to which he obliged all chairmen of the village councils to clarify the number of graves in their territories and entrusted the protection and maintenance of graves to specific collective farms. The manufacture of hedges, pyramid monuments and plaques with inscriptions, the equipment of graves (turf and flowers, planting trees) were entrusted to collective farms, mines and enterprises located on the territory of the village council. It was also instructed to involve the local Komsomol organization in the repair and "love courtship" of the burials. Subsequently, the enterprises and schools in charge of them were assigned to each memorial. By 1970, only three of the seventeen mass graves had obelisks not replaced with monuments, which was corrected a year later. In the 1990s, the memorials were transferred to the balance of local administrations, their condition began to be controlled by the district military commissariats. In accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation of January 14, 1993 No. 4292-1 "On perpetuating the memory of those who died defending the Fatherland" and the order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation of April 10, 1993 No. 185 "On measures to implement" this law, until May 9, the military commissariat sends heads of administrations of the district with a request to conduct surveys of memorials and provide written reports on their condition.

Memorials in large cities were created by well-known sculptors and architects, and their designs have been preserved either in private or state archives. The history of such monuments is less controversial because they have been in the focus of attention since their creation (reference books, guidebooks, newspaper articles, postcard sets). Monuments in small settlements, as a rule, are typical mass-produced monuments, however, they are much more variable in terms of visual images than it might seem at first glance. For example, in the Shchekino region there are more than twenty different sculptural monuments dedicated to the fallen in the Great Patriotic War, and only in two cases the names of the authors are known.

At the beginning of my research, I sought to reconstruct how things "really" happened so that the pieces of the puzzle would fit together, without the contradictions that so confused me in various sources. My initial desire to find out in which year the Eternal Flame was lit gradually faded away, as I came to the conclusion that this is simply impossible. I cannot say with complete certainty which document or whose evidence is the most comprehensive and convincing. At first, I was inclined to the version of May 9, 1957, since the archival issue of the newspaper with a report on the opening of the monument and the lighting of the Eternal Flame seemed to me the most reliable source (as I was told in the archive: “There is a document, there is a fact”). Then I learned about the first opening of the monument in September 1956 and the second one in 1957, timed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the revolution, and this version explained many of the remaining questions and also seemed quite plausible. Nevertheless, over and over again I peered at the picture in which the plant manager and the pioneer light an inextinguishable torch, compared it with other old photographs of the memorial, turned on spatial imagination and agreed with the museum staff that at this angle, the monument should have entered the frame if he would have been standing there at that time - but he is not.

Now, almost two years after the start of the research, I am thinking not about the year in which the Eternal Flame was lit in Pervomaisky, but about how the memory of this or that event is preserved and transmitted. How to determine the degree of its significance in the local history of a single settlement? Does it depend on the scale of the event and how to evaluate this scale? How and for how long is the memory of the event preserved? How many years will eyewitnesses remember him, how detailed will their descendants have about him in almost 60 years? What evidence will the archives preserve?

On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Victory, interest in memorials and their fate is especially great. In retrospect, the lighting of the first Eternal Flame in the USSR is a significant event, and not only on the scale of the district and region. But was it perceived in this way at the moment when it happened, did his contemporaries notice it, and how can we judge it now? I suggest that this event, on the one hand, can be considered as a potential "place of memory", that is, "a meaningful unity of a material or ideal order, which the will of people or the work of time has turned into a symbolic element of the heritage of memory of a certain community" . On the other hand, using his example, one can trace the transition from individual-communicative memory to collective-cultural and vice versa.

The eternal flame symbolizes the courage and bravery of warriors who gave their lives for a brave cause. When the Nazi invaders violated the non-aggression pact and treacherously invaded the territory of the Soviet Union, everyone, young and old, did their best to contribute to the Great Victory. Most of the boys and girls volunteered to go to the front to beat the enemy, those who did not go to the front stood behind the machines, making shells and tanks for the Soviet army, mostly these workers were children.

The first days and months of the war were very difficult and tense. With incredible courage and courage, the Soviet people defended their great Motherland. Volunteer partisan detachments were organized in the Belarusian forests, which, by their actions, tried to thwart Adolf Hitler's lightning-fast plan to seize the Soviet Union.

Opening of the first Eternal Flame of Glory

One of the first monuments to fallen soldiers was opened in 1921. The memorial complex was built under the Arc de Triomphe in the French capital - Paris.

In the collapsed Soviet Union, in Moscow, in honor of the celebration of the Great Victory in 1955, the Eternal Flame was solemnly lit at the monument. However, it is difficult to call it "eternal", since it was lit periodically, only a few times a year:

• for the celebration of Victory Day;
• on Armed Forces Day and Navy, later, since 2013, on Defender of the Fatherland Day;
• on the Day of the Liberation of Shchekino.

A truly Eternal Flame is the fire in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), which was lit on November 6, 1957 on the Field of Mars.

To date, there are only three such memorial complexes in the capital. The first Eternal Flame was lit on February 9, 1961. Over time, the gas pipeline supplying gas wore out, and, starting in 2004, it was temporarily turned off for the duration of the repair work, and by 2010 it was lit again.

Monuments and memorial complexes, built in the 50-60s of the twentieth century, have pretty worn out by our time. The gas pipelines leading to the fire are especially affected. Therefore, the government annually allocates funds to reconstruct and replace pipes at many monuments of the country as quickly as possible.

Photos of the memorial complex

The photo below shows the Eternal Flame near the Kremlin Wall, which was lit on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 1967. The opening ceremony was personally led by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. In 2009, the fire was moved to Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill. In 2010, it was returned to the Kremlin wall again.

A proposal to open a memorial on Poklonnaya Hill was made by representatives of the Moscow Veterans Society. The public warmly supported this initiative, because such monuments symbolize the eternal memory of the fallen soldiers and teach today's youth not to forget the terrible pages of the history of their country.

Remarkable and brave citizens were awarded to light the Eternal Flame:

1. Participant in the hostilities during the defense of Moscow, honorary citizen, chairman of the council of war and labor veterans Vladimir Dolgikh.
2. Hero of Russia Colonel Vyacheslav Sivko.
3. Representative public organization Nikolai Zimogorodov.

After the opening of the memorial complex, this place became the most visited in the Russian capital. Not only residents of Moscow come here, but also numerous tourists who want to see the sights of the hero city.

Do you need an Eternal Flame?

Modern youth is less and less interested in history and those distant anxious days of the Great Patriotic War. There are fewer and fewer people who have passed through the fiery walls of hell of those years. But nevertheless, we should never forget about the feat that our fathers and grandfathers accomplished in the name of the world of future generations. One of these reminders are monuments and memorials with eternal and unquenchable fire, reminiscent of the heroic deeds of soldiers on the battlefields.

When designing and restoring monuments, experts are thinking about how to make the Eternal Flame, but there are people and officials who are against it. They argue this by saying that extra material costs are needed for supplying and maintaining gas pipes and burners. But it is very good that there are only a few such people, because the Eternal Flame symbolizes the eternal memory of the feat that people have accomplished in the name of peace.

Where Veterans Meet

In many cities of the vast expanses of Russia, monuments and memorials with the Eternal Flame have been opened. These places have long become sights and visiting cards of cities; they attract many people of different ages, guests and tourists. For veterans, they serve as a meeting place and memory of distant war days and fallen comrades.

On the day of the celebration of the Great Victory over the Nazi invaders, May 9, fresh flowers are brought to monuments and memorials and wreaths are laid. Here, too, a field kitchen for veterans is very often deployed with the obligatory front-line one hundred grams.

Eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

During the bloody battles, a huge number of soldiers and officers went missing. Until now, the remains of dead soldiers are found on former locations military operations. During the defense of Moscow back in 1941, a huge number of workers and soldiers were killed, in their honor in 1967 the monument "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" was built. At its foot, pointed flames burst out of a bronze five-pointed star, symbolizing the unforgettable deeds of the heroes.

The Eternal Flame monument serves as a meeting place, because every day people bring fresh flowers to it, thereby honoring the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for a brighter future. It serves as a meeting place for students of Moscow (and not only) schools with war veterans. Each child then captures what they see by creating a drawing. The eternal flame flares up with a bright flame in young hearts.

Create a drawing

How to draw an Eternal Flame? Before proceeding with the sketches, it is necessary to look at it live at least once. It is best to make a sketch without leaving the memorial, so you can choose the most suitable angle. The monument should be photographed in order to complete the drawing at home.

On a piece of paper you need to sketch out the outline of the memorial. It is important to remember when creating a drawing: The eternal flame should not reach the edges of the sheet, you should leave indents of two to three centimeters. In this case, the image will turn out beautiful and voluminous. The sketch and the drawing itself should be done with a sharp simple pencil, applying light lines.

Shutdown

The next step is to draw more clear contours. Parents can give their children their advice on how to draw the Eternal Flame, but it is better to do it in the form five pointed star in the form of rays with the drawing of all sides of the figure.

To give volume from each vertex of the star, we raise (lower) perpendicular lines relative to the entire picture and connect them with parallel lines. The final moment will be the connection of the center of the star with its tops. After that, you should go directly to drawing the flame. It is better not to paint the tongues of fire in a catchy bright red color, but to make it orange-red.

Finally, erase all auxiliary lines with an eraser and color the picture using colored pencils or watercolors.

Hero cities

The inscription on the granite slab of the "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" memorial reads "Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal." In continuation of the historical ensemble, along with the Kremlin wall, urns with earth taken from hero cities: Minsk and Leningrad, Sevastopol and Kyiv, Kerch and Volgograd, Brest and Smolensk, Tula and Murmansk were installed.

As you can see in the photo, "Eternal Flame" is a monument that always has a lot of people. The flame burns constantly, and the top of the memorial ensemble is decorated with a soldier's helmet cast in bronze, a laurel branch and a battle banner. Thousands of people come to look at the Eternal Flame on May 9, Victory Day, as well as veterans who, with a minute of silence, honor the memory of the fallen soldiers who showed extraordinary courage and fortitude in the struggle for freedom during the Great Patriotic War.

Craft for Victory Day

The craft "Eternal Flame", made with your own hands, will be the most beautiful and expensive gift that a schoolboy can give to grandparents who fought. On the eve of the holiday at school and at home, adults should talk with children about heroic deeds. Soviet soldiers on the battlefields with the Nazi invaders.

The craft is made from paper or other improvised materials. It should not be difficult, so as not to discourage children from doing it. To make the Eternal Flame out of paper, the child will need perseverance, attentiveness, the ability to use scissors and glue. Such crafts are best done by middle school students, students of the fifth or sixth grades. To make a gift, you will need scissors, colored paper, glue, a simple pencil and a ruler. First you need to draw a star on the back of the colored paper, cut it out and glue the three-dimensional figure. You also need to do with the image of fire.

You can make an Eternal Flame with your own hands in an easier way. This will require the following components: half a glass of flour, water and one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Ask the elders or try to knead the dough yourself. From it, as from plasticine, make a cake and press it down with something flat, such as a saucer or plate. From the resulting cake, a five-pointed star should be cut with a knife. In the middle, make five small holes for the fire. To make flames, you need red colored paper. On the reverse side you should draw a fire, then cut it out. There should be five flames. After cutting out of paper, they must be inserted into the holes made in the dough. The craft is ready, and you can give it to your grandmother or grandfather!

The fire of eternal glory burns

Many representatives of the younger generation do not even know that once their grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought for the freedom of the Motherland. The primary task of teachers and parents is to work with children so that they do not lose the thin thread that connects the history of past glory and the realities of present life. Almost no one can answer the question of when the first Eternal Flame was lit, few will be able to tell why it burns and what it symbolizes. War stories are an integral part of the upbringing and development of the child.

The eternal flame in Moscow and many cities of the vast expanses of the Motherland burns at the foot of memorial ensembles and monuments.

Memory is imperishable

In Cherkessk, on the celebration of Victory Day in 1967, a fire was solemnly lit at the memorial to the fallen soldiers-liberators who gave their lives for the independence and freedom of Russia. From a conversation with the director of the local history center, S. Tverdokhlebov, it was possible to find out that he collected bit by bit information about the soldiers who died in the Great Patriotic War, defending the city of Cherkessk. Based on this material, a book was published and the memory of the heroes was immortalized in the form of a memorial complex with an Eternal Flame.

It is very important that current generation never forgot about the terrible crimes against all mankind committed by the Nazi invaders, so that the horror of the war that our grandfathers experienced would never be repeated, especially since every year fewer and fewer witnesses of those terrible and tense days remain alive.

Honoring the memory of the Great Victory should not be limited to a single May day a year. In order for the feat of heroes to remain in the people's mind for a long time, memorials were built throughout the country with flames continuously maintained in special burners. The most famous of them is located in the capital of Russia. Therefore, the story of where the Eternal Flame came from to Moscow deserves a separate story.

History of custom in antiquity

Europeans are not unique in giving flames a mournful meaning:

1. In ancient Iran, there was a tradition of "atara" or "divine spark". A Zoroastrian priest participated in the lighting ceremony;
2. The constantly burning flame on the outer altar was an essential attribute of religious rituals in Jerusalem. In modern Israel the custom has been renewed and is carried out in every synagogue;
3. The Cherokee Native American tribe celebrated similar traditions throughout their history until they were subjected to genocide by the Americans. In the modern USA there is a copy of the Cherokee eternal flame (Red Clay State Historical Park, Tennessee);
4. In ancient China, the lighting of the family altar was a tribute to the ancestors;
5. The flame was continuously maintained in the ancient Greek Temple of Apollo at Delphi and the ancient Roman Temple of Vesta.

Putting out the fire was just as symbolic as lighting it. It was this action that Alexander the Great performed during the conquest of the Achaemenid state or the Romans during the capture of Greek territories.

The Significance of Fire in Recent History

In the 20th century, a centuries-old world tradition found a new incarnation as a monument to the victims of military clashes:

• The first gas burner at the grave of a nameless warrior appeared in 1923 in the capital of France to perpetuate the memory of those who fell on the fields of the First World War;
• The initiative has received a wide response from society, politicians and the media. Thanks to this, similar memorials began to appear in other European states;
• The tragedy of World War II, which claimed the lives of several tens of millions of people, gave a new impetus to the construction of such pyrotechnic structures. In 1946, the authorities of Poland, liberated from the invaders, decided to light a fire in the central square of the capital;
• Nine years later, the Soviet authorities took the same step: the memorial appeared in one of the settlements of the Tula region and worked only on memorable dates: February 23, Victory Day and the day the settlement was liberated from Nazi invaders.

In this video, historian Kirill Rodionov will tell about the history of the appearance of the eternal flame in the capital:

Where did the Eternal Flame come from to Moscow?

In 1957, an unquenchable gas flame appeared on the Field of Mars in the Northern capital. It was here that the torch was lit, which gave rise to the most famous among similar memorials - Moscow:

• "Eternal Flame" in the capital appeared on the eve of the 12th anniversary of Victory Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden;
• From Leningrad the fire got to Moscow thanks to the relay race, in which many Soviet celebrities and war heroes participated. The last in the chain was the disabled pilot Maresyev;
• The Secretary General of the Communist Party Leonid Brezhnev himself took part in the opening ceremony. At the moment of "X" a funny thing happened: the head of state could not bring the torch in time and there was a strong bang. Brezhnev recoiled in fear and barely managed to stay on his feet. This moment was carefully cut from the air of the central channel;
• Fire is the central part of the sculptural composition, consisting of a five-pointed star, a battle ensign, a laurel branch and a metal military helmet;
• During repair or maintenance work, the flame is transferred to another location. So in 2009, Poklonnaya Gora became his temporary home.

The technical side of the building

The continuous combustion gas plant was designed by a company specializing in rocket engines (now known as Energia Corporation). The project and drawings were developed at the Mosgaz Research Institute.

The principles of operation of the device have not changed over the past few decades:

• The fuel is natural gas, which is supplied through the use of the infrastructure of the state unitary enterprise "Mosgaz";
• The gas pipeline is regularly (much more often than household counterparts) checked for performance;
• Ignition occurs due to the presence of three electric wick-lighters. Installation of several devices at once is caused by the need to ensure continuous operation (taking into account the impact of natural, technogenic and anthropogenic factors);
• At first, a special employee of the gas service monitored the operation of the burner. Subsequently, an automatic troubleshooting system was created;
• The installation consumes a fairly large amount of fuel - 6 cubic meters / hour - this is several times higher than the average household indicators for apartments.

Guard at the Eternal Flame in Moscow

A permanent watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was established relatively recently, during the tenure of Boris Yeltsin. The order is:

1. The change of sentries at the post takes place hourly from eight in the morning until eight in the evening every day;
2. A presidential decree established a new military uniform for military personnel on duty: unique raincoats, stripes and headgear;
3. By separate orders of the head of the FSO of Russia, the mode of operation and the change of guards can be changed (if there are grounds);
4. The changing of the guard ceremony is a well-known attraction and attracts millions of tourists to the capital. The movements of the sentries are worked out to the smallest movements and are surprisingly synchronous. Such a study of military rituals has been preserved since pre-revolutionary times;
5. Until 1997, a fast in the Alexander Garden was established only as part of the celebration of anniversaries. Earlier (until 1993) there was a watch near the Lenin Mausoleum, where only the best of the best soldiers got to. A platoon of guards numbered in different years from three dozen to fifty people.

In pre-revolutionary times, the Field of Mars in St. Petersburg was known as a venue for reviews, marches and solemn processions. In the Soviet years, an anti-fascist monument was erected here, from where in 1957 the Eternal Flame migrated to Moscow. Today the capital memorial is one of the key tourist locations.

Today, the Eternal Flame on the Field of Mars in St. Petersburg turns 60 years old. There is a particle of it in the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall, a memorial at the Piskarevsky cemetery, Russian hero cities. For six decades, the fire lit from the open-hearth furnace has not gone out even once.

In November 1957, all Soviet newspapers wrote about how the first Eternal Flame lit up in the country, but not a single movie camera captured it. Only a couple of photographs have been preserved in Leningradskaya Pravda. Here the torch is brought to the memorial by the city's oldest communist, Praskovya Ivanovna Kulyabko. Then all of Leningrad stood in line - everyone wanted to see the fire in person. And few people knew then and remember now that the first to see the fire were ordinary workers of the Kirov plant. It was in his furnaces that the unquenchable flame was born.

About two thousand degrees Celsius, hundreds of tons of melted steel per day. The famous open-hearth furnaces of one of the oldest plants in the country are still in operation. Then, 60 years ago, the right to give life to the first Eternal Flame of Memory in our country was entrusted not just to the flagship of Soviet engineering - the plant, which during the Great Patriotic War, despite constant bombing and shelling, continued to work.

“A sample was taken from an open-hearth furnace, and from this sample, from a red-hot metal, a wick was lit,” says Igor Savrasov, director of the Museum of History and Technology of the Kirov Plant.

The best steelmaker of the plant, Mitrofan Zhukovsky, took out the very sample from the furnace. Accompanied by a guard of honor, the torch was delivered to the Field of Mars. And before the eyes of thousands of Leningraders, the Eternal Flame on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution blazed in memory of all its victims. But they also remembered those who died during the Great Patriotic War. After all, it was here, on the Field of Mars, that gardens had to be planted during the blockade, and then fireworks were fired from here in honor of the liberation of Leningrad.

In May 1960, it was decided to transfer a particle of the first Eternal Flame to the Piskarevsky cemetery. The torch to the place where half a million inhabitants and defenders of the city were buried in mass graves was accompanied by the whole of Leningrad.

“Here everything was packed with people. We recounted a hundred times that we succeeded, because not all enterprises could send their people. This is a memory for life, for the whole century, that is, from generation to generation we will pass on that there was a blockade, there was a war, we survived, ”says Nadezhda Kudryakova, a blockade survivor.

The sacred flame of memory from the Field of Mars ignited in May 1967 in the capital. The cortege was greeted by thousands of residents. Famous footage: Hero of the Soviet Union pilot Alexei Maresyev passes the torch to Leonid Brezhnev. An eternal flame in memory of the immortal feat of those who died defending the country lights up at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Then the fires of memory burned, however, already almost throughout the country.

Ordinary St. Petersburg schoolchildren are trying to trace the path of the sacred flame today. They study the archives, collect eyewitness accounts in order to publish the first special reference book on the history of more than three thousand memorials. The fire of memory burns today in almost every corner of the country.

Do you like to look at candle fire? Probably few of us would say no. For some reason, the flame acts on a person magically, bewitchingly.

Yes, and the flame itself has been something magical since ancient times, in one second we see the flame, the next it disappears to reappear. Therefore, the ancients believed that fire easily and simply unites the worlds.

When a person dies, the flame of his heart slowly fades to kindle in another world. This, of course, is an image, but from it a tradition arose to light a fire in honor of the dead and the dead.

To put it even simpler, fire is our memory, eternal fire is eternal memory.

Now, probably, in every city you can see a memorial or a monument with an eternal flame.

For the older generation, this is not just a symbol of worship of a feat. This is an eternal connection with the dead, no matter how long ago it happened.

Fire has been considered a symbol of purification since ancient times. So you think you just stare at the flame of a candle like that? No.

It turns out that our thoughts, passing through this flame, are also cleansed, everything superficial, everything unnecessary is burned, your truth remains. So it is very useful for a person to look at the fire from time to time.

Remember May 9th... How the whole country freezes in mute silence, not taking his eyes off the flame of eternal fire. This minute is a moment of strength for the whole country. At this moment there is an energy unification of the whole family. Somewhere in some dimension, the eyes of the living and the dead meet.

It is only said that the sight is unseeing ..... Still what a seer, just not with an ordinary human eye, but rather with a soul.

In ancient times, there was a tradition when moving to a new house, be sure to bring a pot of fire from the old house. It was not just done. This tradition has a lot of meaning. With this fire, the connection with the ancestors, with the clan of this family, was transferred to the new house.

Remember that a woman is the keeper of the family hearth? We're just used to thinking now that it's just a metaphor. And in ancient times, the fire in the house had to be maintained constantly, so the family connection was not lost.

It's like looking for someone in the dark with a flashlight. You'll find him faster if he also lights a flashlight, right?

We must always remember that certain traditions do not arise just like that. And if we don’t know something, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist and never has.

We are simply given the opportunity to forget. Sometimes this gift is useful, sometimes not. But we must remember and honor the departed.

And those who gave their lives for us to live and rejoice now, we must not only remember. We must be worthy of them.

And when your gaze once again freezes on the flame of a burning fire, you mentally send gratitude and bow. You can rest assured that you will be seen and heard.

It seems to us that the main role fire to warm our homes, make our life more comfortable and cozy. We think so...

And the FIRE itself only smiles at human naivety. After all, human knowledge is already at the “warm” level, but it is still far from “hot”.

I am always glad to see you on the pages of the site