How Germany celebrates on May 9?

Victory Day is one of the most important holidays of our country, it is celebrated with grandiose salutes and parades, the air is filled with the atmosphere of celebration and heroism. The holiday, dedicated to May 9 , is also taking place in Germany. But the celebrations on this day are very different from those that are usual for us.

The celebration of May 9 in Germany

In Europe, Victory Day is called the Day of Liberation from Nazism and celebrated on May 8. There are several ways to explain this difference in dates:

1. The act of the complete surrender of the Third Reich was signed late in the evening, when Russia was already on May 9th.
2. The act was signed twice, as during the first ceremony Marshal Zhukov was not present.

But on May 9, there was a holiday for many Germans, which they used to celebrate as Victory Day. The reason is years of life in the socialist GDR. The official part of the celebration takes place on the 8th of May, in the center of Berlin , in the Tiergarten area, the first persons of the country lay flowers to the memorial monument.

Germany celebrates on May 9 quite quietly, hundreds of Germans come to honor the memory of the fallen heroes and put flowers on the memorial to Soviet soldiers in Treptow Park. Representatives of the Russian embassy also take part in these celebrations. Once this memorial was behind the Berlin Wall, so there are two places in the city where flowers are carried on Victory Day, one in each part of the city.

Visitors can hardly understand how Germany celebrates on May 9. After all, the streets are not covered with flags, there are not many thousands of rallies and parades. Basically, all the festive events are held in Berlin, but still this holiday exists, about him several generations of Germans have not forgotten.

What does 9 May mean for the Germans?

In Germany, salutes are not heard and military parades are not held, but people remember this day and honor the memory of the dead heroes. For many, this may seem strange, since we are used to perceive May 9 as the day of victory over Germany. But for the Germans there is a reason for the holiday. They celebrate the victory over the criminal regime, which caused unbearable pain to millions of families throughout Europe. The Germans are proud of the history of their antifascist underground.

In addition, Germany is home to many immigrants from the former USSR, for whom Victory Day is one of the most important days of the year. They do not forget their history and annually come to honor the memory of the fallen heroes.

For the Germans on May 8 and 9 are the turning-points in history. The victory over Nazism is no less important for Germany than for other European countries.