Our kids 

When the alumni meeting takes place. “And this respectable man, a lawyer, was sitting in front of me at a desk ?!” The capital celebrates the day of the meeting of graduates

February in Russia is a month not only of rallies and revolutions, but also of traditional meetings of school graduates. According to the Soviet tradition, every first Saturday of February (with slight variations) such meetings take place all over the country. Thousands of pretty adults already uncles and aunts on this day flock to Russian schools to look at each other many, many years later.

Why such meetings take place on the first Saturday of February and in February in general is one of the secrets covered in darkness. According to one of the unofficial versions, it is easier for those who study in universities to meet during the winter student holidays. True, this version does not at all explain why this is for those who graduated from universities for a long time or did not start them at all.

But, be that as it may, meeting with classmates in February is deeply consistent with the inner meanings of this tradition. February, as a month, is indeed one of the strangest of the year. This is a month of timelessness between winter and spring, when after the New Year's orgy it seems that time has stopped, when there is nowhere else to rush. And it is best suited to indulge in an equally strange session of group ritual-symbolic nostalgia.

Of course, the foundation of this ritual and symbolic act is absolutely Soviet. Moreover, at its core, this is not just a ritual, but a sacred act, albeit informal. And this is not surprising: in the USSR from childhood, the Cult of the School as the Second Family was formed, which was an important component of the social religion of the Soviet person. Accordingly, the very worship of the School was akin to the veneration of the spirits of ancestors: it served as one of the most important links in the chain of the Soviet meritocratic pantheon.

The power of the Soviet cult of the School lay precisely in its tacit ubiquity: the school ran like a red thread through the entire life of a Soviet person, it echoed in his children, always reminded of itself. It could be ignored, but it was impossible to hide from its radiation. Dislike for their school was considered something between immorality and a mild form of anti-Sovietism. Not remembering the name of your first teacher on the table of Soviet anti-values ​​meant about the same as not coming to your mother's grave.

However, if everything is more or less clear with the Soviet era, then the further evolution of this cult is a much more curious phenomenon. In theory, in the 1990s and 2000s, the Soviet school cult should have weakened for obvious reasons due to the surrounding tectonic socio-political shifts just as an unspoken ritual. But instead, something exactly the opposite happened: it was the ritual meaning of the meetings of graduates that intensified and reached a new level. By the way, during the Soviet era, meetings of alumni were not held in many schools. Now all the schools flaunt the annual show of “connection of generations” with concerts, meetings in assembly halls, with stands “in memory of those years” and other arsenal of nostalgia.

What is most interesting is that for the first time ever, the meetings of alumni acquired a pronounced existential meaning, which they had previously been deprived of. For the first time in many, many years, the difference between school years and adulthood has ceased to be determined by one immobile social formation. And if the rhythms of entering the “big life” of graduates of the conditional 1962 and the conditional 1982 in the first 5-10 years after school proceeded ABSOLUTELY the same, then the difference between the graduates of 1982 and 1992 is already cardinal. If in the first case the Soviet state and society determined exactly the same rules and standards of life for their newly-minted citizens, then in the second everything was the same as in the hit group "Cockroaches!": "Everyone went out into life through their own door." Therefore, the question "are you now how and where?" suddenly began to mean somewhat differently: "are you there at all?" So, 30 years ago, a situation similar to the one when one of my classmates became a successful businesswoman was still impossible, and the other became a homeless woman and begged near the church.

For the same reason, a huge number of people, already in the 2000s, suddenly felt that all the best, basic, present in their lives remained on the other side of the 1991 waterline. Hence - all these nostalgias of 30-year-olds in the "zero" in the USSR, "80s discos" and the hyper-success of the social network "Odnoklassniki" (I note - it is "Odnoklassniki", not "Classmates" any). And, curiously, the Odnoklassniki phenomenon itself for some reason did not replace the communication of graduates at traditional meetings, but only spurred it on. For the first time, people meet for a reason, but to make an attempt to glue something that is thoroughly broken and that becomes relatively whole only at these meetings.

To some, all this may seem naive, but all these initially doomed attempts, mixed with the phantom pain of losing a huge country, indicate that the country has problems that are more serious than the problems of corruption, social chaos and no power. The country has not developed any solid collective identity, no integral community in which people would experience their life more naturally. As a result, many are looking for in alumni meetings not nostalgia, where there are “stars and dreams,” but the feeling of a shoulder lost forever in a world where everything was right and after the collapse of which almost everything became wrong. Alas, these feelings have nothing to do with the problems of getting out of puberty.

But in addition to the lost sense of collective community, which the current Russian society cannot provide to a person, at alumni meetings many people are also looking for their own “I”. That "I", which has long been lost, and which is known, perhaps, only they are the people with whom you grew up together from year to year. That “I”, which at that time could not be acquired according to the principle “face to face, not to see a face”. Then, in contrast to the student years, there was still no serious socialization and experience of life lies. The modern world carries too many social masks and show-off, behind which we are used to hiding our true face. And at alumni meetings, all show-off and masks are useless: you are still perceived here as Vasya from 11th A, and not as a tough manager Vasily Petrovich. In addition, here there is every chance to re-enter, at least for a short moment, the state when you were sincere and naive - that is, you were yourself in the most, that neither is, the real sense of the word. When the only worthy social role was considered to be the coolest in the eyes of the girls and the coolest among the boys. Or vice versa - as you like.

Several years ago, I came across an article by some metrosexual in the capital, who specifically went to a meeting of graduates for the purpose of reporting and described it with genuine horror: precious life? " Then I thought, I wonder - what does he have in common with everyone else? With classmates, work colleagues, friends, neighbors ...

I don’t know, maybe these people are right in something, believing that there is something unnatural in trying to enter the waters of a river twenty years ago, to seek community with people who do not influence your life today, instead of, to live for today. Alas, there are more and more carriers of such consciousness, and there are fewer and fewer people who are trying to feel themselves at least because of the absence of what they should mean in this life.

Quite recently, when we were celebrating 20 years of graduation, we visited our teachers, who were celebrating the 55th anniversary of our graduation. We, who with each anniversary meeting manage to gather less and less, were amazed that the teacher's class came almost more. And most importantly: they, 70-year-old people, had the strength to make even a wall newspaper with old school photos. Therefore, looking at the graduates of the "zero" it becomes scary to me at the thought of what will move them at the alumni meetings. If, of course, such meetings take place at all.

Nostalgia is a strange thing. Even in a collective package, it is absorbed deeply personally. And at some stage it ceases to be a brand, but becomes a simple feeling that you are still alive. I realized this quite recently, when we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the graduation, we still indulged in silly memories of "how it was" from the series "do you remember how you pulled my braids?" Now, in the year of the 20th anniversary of graduation, none of this has happened. But with pulsating regularity, my classmates asked each other one question: "Are we all alive?"

And I still can't figure out where I start in this phrase.

Every year, the end of January is characterized by a burst of activity on social networks. Often, there are photographs from distant school times with calls to attend an upcoming meeting of former classmates. After all, every meeting is that joyful event that can take us back to the best and most serene school years. So what is the day of the alumni meeting? This is the first Saturday in February.

Features of the holiday.

On this beautiful February day, the courtyard and premises of the school are filled with its former students, who have already matured and have taken on their own life path. When the day of the meeting of graduates is celebrated, such a dear school bell sounds again, former students try to squeeze in such small desks, and the teacher, who has changed over the years, greets everyone on the doorstep of the class with a kind smile. Everyone stares into each other's faces, trying to find familiar features. And again cheerful noise, and din, and again jokes, and the eternal question "Do you remember how we ...". When the alumni meeting takes place, it is necessarily accompanied by pleasant memories and exchange of impressions. And also the stories of former classmates about themselves and their lives.

Order of conduct.

Like any holiday, this day has its own timetable. The beginning of the holiday is a gala concert in the assembly hall, then there is a tour of the school and, then, the graduates disperse among the classes. Often, the concert is prepared by the school collective, or the students of the school. The motto of the concert is again held under the slogan "Do you remember? It consists of funny moments and situations that are pleasant to remember for every graduate. However, all those who prepare skits and jokes for graduates cannot know any peculiarities and funny moments from their studies. that is why, most often, they resort to templates, such as a button for the teacher on a chair and footrests, and endless deuces.

Therefore, one should not expect much originality from such events. And every year the number of graduates who come to school is only declining. Often, they meet right in a cafe or restaurant. Therefore, it is better not to rely on someone, but to plan and organize a program, communication and a table for yourself and your classmates. You can, for example, collect the most interesting and vivid photographs a week before the meeting and instruct someone from the class to make a collage so that it would be interesting for everyone to watch and remember the past.

What should be done in advance?

In general, no matter what date the day of the alumni meeting is held, everything needs to be planned and ordered in advance. In particular, this applies to the place that is chosen for the banquet. Indeed, on the eve of the meeting, most of the cafes and restaurants will often be busy. And so that no one gets bored at the meeting, it is desirable that there is such a person who will direct the conversation in the right direction. This should be someone who knows everything about everyone, knows how to maintain a conversation, give a topic for a new conversation, or tell something for everyone's amusement. If you look closely, then in every class there is always such a person. He then should be the ringleader this evening.

The alumni meeting, whatever date it is held, will always be, to some extent, a sad holiday. After all, having plunged into those carefree years with schoolmates for a moment, you will not want to return to your usual routine later. However, the alumni meeting day is a kind of therapy, an opportunity to get astalgic together, to remember the years when everyone was so good and fun together. A meeting of alumni is an event that is definitely worth attending at least occasionally, in order to prolong childhood for a moment, remember the past and again spend the evening in the company of those people with whom fate once brought together under the roof of one school.

Sunday 24 March 2019 football teams will meet in the qualification of the Euro 2020 group stage Russia and Kazakhstan.

This will be the second match of the Russian team in the current qualifying tournament. Let us remind you that in the first meeting, Russia met with Belgium, to which it lost with a score of 1: 3.

The Russia-Kazakhstan meeting will take place on March 24, 2019 in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan - the city of Astana(which on March 20, literally in a couple of hours, was renamed Nursultan by the decision of parliament members). And how can one fail to recall one of the jokes dedicated to the renaming of the city, and not to say in relation to the Russian national football team that she “flew to Astana, but flew to Nursultan”. Although, formally, the city will change its name only after the document is signed by the new head of state, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev.

The match will be held at the stadium "Astana Arena"("Nursultan Arena"). The beginning is at 17:00 Moscow time (at 20:00 local time).

That is:
* Place of the match - Kazakhstan, Astana (Nursultan), "Astana Arena".
* Time of the beginning of the broadcast - 17:00 Moscow time.

Where to watch live match Russia - Kazakhstan:

In Russia the live broadcast of the football match will be shown by the federal TV channel "Match!"... The broadcast dedicated to the game will begin at 16:35 Moscow time, the live broadcast itself - at 17:00 Moscow time.

In Kazakhstan the live broadcast of the national football teams will be shown on the channel "QAZAQSTAN" at 20:00 local time.

March 18 in Crimea is a day off or a working day:

According to the above laws, on the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol the date "March 18" is a non-working holiday, an additional day off.

That is:
* March 18 in Crimea and Sevastopol is a day off.

If March 18 coincides with a day off (as, for example, happens in 2023), the day off is postponed to the next working day.

If a holiday coincides with an annual paid vacation, March 18 is not included in the number of calendar days of vacation, but extends it.

Is March 17 a shortened working day:

If the calendar date March 17 falls on a working day, then the duration of work on that day is reduced by 1 hour.

This norm is established in the 95th article of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and applies to working days preceding, among other things, regional holidays.

International Women's Day on March 8 is a memorable date for the United Nations, and the organization includes 193 states. The memorable dates announced by the General Assembly are intended to stimulate UN members to show increased interest in these events. However, at the moment, not all member states of the United Nations have approved the celebration of Women's Day in their territories on that date.

Below is a list of countries celebrating International Women's Day. Countries are grouped into groups: in a number of states, the holiday is an official day off (day off) for all citizens, somewhere on March 8 only women have a rest, and there are states where they work on March 8.

In which countries is March 8 a day off (for everyone):

* In Russia- March 8 is one of the most beloved holidays when men congratulate all women without exception.

* In Ukraine- International Women's Day continues to be an additional day off, despite regular proposals to exclude the event from the number of non-working days and replace it, for example, with Shevchenko's Day, which will be celebrated on March 9.
* In Abkhazia.
* In Azerbaijan.
* In Algeria.
* In Angola.
* In Armenia.
* In Afghanistan.
* In Belarus.
* In Burkina Faso.
* In vietnam.
* In Guinea-Bissau.
* In Georgia.
* In Zambia.
* In Kazakhstan.
* In Cambodia.
* In Kenya.
* In Kyrgyzstan.
* In the DPRK.
* In Cuba.
* In Laos.
* In Latvia.
* In Madagascar.
* In Moldova.
* In Mongolia.
* In Nepal.
* In Tajikistan- since 2009, the holiday has been renamed Mother's Day.
* In Turkmenistan.
* In Uganda.
* In Uzbekistan.
* In Eritrea.
* In South Ossetia.

Countries in which March 8 is a day off only for women:

There are countries where only women are exempted from work on International Women's Day. This rule is approved:

* In China.
* In Madagascar.

Which countries celebrate March 8, but this is a working day:

In some countries, International Women's Day is widely observed, but it is a working day. It:

* Austria.
* Bulgaria.
* Bosnia and Herzegovina.
* Germany- in Berlin, since 2019, March 8 is a day off, in the whole country it is a worker.
* Denmark.
* Italy.
* Cameroon.
* Romania.
* Croatia.
* Chile.
* Switzerland.

In which countries March 8 is NOT celebrated:

* In Brazil - the majority of the inhabitants of which have not even heard of the "international" holiday on March 8. The main event of late February - early March for Brazilians and Brazilian women is not Women's Day at all, but the world's largest Brazilian Festival according to the Guinness Book of Records, also called the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. In honor of the festival, the inhabitants of Brazil rest for several days in a row, from Friday to noon on Catholic Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent (which for Catholics has a flexible date and begins 40 days before Catholic Easter).

* In the United States, a holiday is not a public holiday. In 1994, an attempt by activists to validate the celebration in Congress was unsuccessful.

* In the Czech Republic (Czech Republic) - most of the country's population considers the holiday as a relic of the communist past and the main symbol of the old regime.

Usually, alumni meetings in all schools in the country take place on the first Saturday, and the date is different every year. It is on this day that schools open their doors for those who once studied there. On this occasion, a concert program is being prepared, in which schoolchildren, teachers and graduates themselves take part. The meeting can take place in the evening or in the afternoon, depending on the director's order.
Some schools set their day for an alumni meeting. Also, it can take place not within the walls of the school, but on the main square of the city.

How is the event going

After all the events at the school, graduates go to continue the celebration in some kind of nightclub: a bar, a nightclub, a restaurant. Here, already in an informal setting, you can relax properly, have a heart-to-heart talk with close and dear classmates, have a tasty meal and dance, celebrate a meeting.

A reunion is a great occasion to see your first love. After all, it is interesting to see how a person looks after so many years, how much his worldview has changed. Sometimes it helps to reunite people as a couple. Once classmates meet, and they start a relationship. Love stories like this are not uncommon.

It will be problematic to break into the capital's cafes tonight without prior reservation: the first Saturday in February is traditionally the day of the alumni meeting. But the gatherings are in the evening, and during the day, schools, gymnasiums and lyceums are filled with former students - mature adults who, once in their native walls, feel like the same restless schoolboys. And it seems that everything around is changing, but only this island of childhood remains the same - after all, no matter how much you change the decor, the main link of this invisible connection is people, our teachers. What do they think about this holiday? And why do graduates postpone everything this Saturday to visit their home school?

Not many schools are officially celebrating alumni today. One of the pleasant exceptions is gymnasium No. 174 of the Moskovsky district of Minsk. They approach the holiday thoroughly: they are preparing a festive concert, information is posted on the website in advance.

Today the beginning of the solemn part is scheduled for 14.00. But the people began to catch up to the gymnasium in advance. It is somewhat reminiscent of September 1, only the audience is much older. And, of course, now you can come to school without any problems in jeans. From all sides, you can only hear:

Wow, what kind of people !!!

Sasha, is that you ?!

Hugs, smiles, laughter - not a single evening of a meeting of graduates is complete without this. Victoria, graduate of 2012, came to the concert directly from the plane:

Now I live between Minsk and Moscow, I arrived early in the morning. I really wanted to sleep, but decided that I would rest later. I would like to remember our 10-11 grade - these are hikes, gatherings. The brightest time! Of course, the school is already the same without us. It changes, and it's unusual, but it's still nice to come back here.

However, the main thing is ahead. In the building of the gymnasium, the former students are already waiting for their teachers. They, too, are overwhelmed with emotions. Svetlana Pekarskaya, a teacher of Russian language and literature, has been working at the gymnasium for 31 years. It is recognized: September 1, graduation, alumni meeting days - every time it is very exciting:

A small, inexperienced child comes to school, and the teachers forge a personality out of him - an Olympiad, a musician, an athlete, a theater-goer. Everyone invests a little. And letting the guys go is always hard - it seems like such a stellar release, how are we without them? The children are also not easy: for the first year or two after graduation, they still cannot tear themselves away from school, they often run in. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that this is your student: here is a lawyer, a respectable man. And I remember: he once sat in front of me at a desk! It happens that I walk through the district, from somewhere they shout: "Svetlana Gennadyevna!" I turn around - and I can't find out. I ask questions to understand which release. I also intersect with former students at work - even in our gymnasium. And recently, as the head of the methodological association of teachers of the Russian language and literature, I was at an event of one of the schools of the Moscow region. The girl is leading. I walk in, she says: "Hello, Svetlana Gennadievna." And this is my student - now she is a teacher of the Russian language and literature.



The gymnasium is filled with graduates, and it becomes difficult to take comments: after a strong hug, former schoolchildren are tightly encircling their mentors. Distracted by conversations with a correspondent, risking missing something interesting, there are no people willing.

And yet I manage to talk with Victor - he left school five years ago... He confesses: he came, first of all, to see the class teacher:

She put a lot in me and gave what others could not give. She always supported me, helped and even when there were difficult questions at school, she was always on my side. Thanks to her, a lot has happened in my life.

Deputy director for educational work Tatiana Polonik picks up:

His homeroom teacher is my homeroom teacher as well.

It turns out that today for Tatyana Alexandrovna today is both a festive and a working day. After all, she herself once graduated from the same gymnasium. And already 2 years after graduation, she returned, but in a new capacity:

I entered the correspondence department at BSU and was looking for a job, and here there was a vacancy for a teacher-organizer. She came and stayed that way. Both my teachers and my class teacher worked here. It was easy to get started. Moreover, now my classmate is working for us - an English teacher.

For Valeria, graduates of 1998, to be within the walls of your native gymnasium is also a familiar thing:

Now I am bringing my daughter here, she will also perform at the concert. This year our release is twenty years old, we celebrated the round date yesterday. And I come to concerts every year.

There are only a few minutes left before the start of the event. Almost all the seats in the hall are already filled, the audience is in a lively mood - the communication does not stop for a minute. It is not surprising that such meetings are a long tradition of the gymnasium. D Director Marina Voitenkova tells:



Do the alumni themselves help to organize the meeting?

If the issue is anniversary, the guys are connected. For example, they are preparing a page of memories for a concert. But here, of course, the initiative of the graduates themselves is very important. Those who approach the process creatively provide for their performance on this day. But there are not many of them. Most of the guys come to see each other, talk to teachers, and then go their separate ways.

In the West, graduates, especially wealthy ones, often help their alma mater - they create funds, scholarships, and donate equipment. We have not heard of this yet. But if we are not talking about millions of dollars, does it happen that former students take part in the life of the gymnasium?

Small gifts that do not require a lot of investment are made. For example, a few years ago there was a graduate who donated a large set of lamps for lighting fixtures. He said: "I studied here, now I run a company - I can afford it." We cite as an example our graduate Dmitry Vanagel, whom many know as Dmitry Wrangel. He is a well-known showman. We invite him to our events. Those who have already brought their children to school are actively helping.

At the same time, probably, coming to his native school, everyone wants to show their best side. Have you ever seen wonderful transformations?

Today it is not customary to come to school and talk about failures. Of course, I want to show, brag about what I have achieved. Sometimes you understand that you have known a person for a long time and, perhaps, behind this bragging is a desire to hide some problem. But if there is a place where you can come and show your best side, that's good.

After the concert, the graduates will disperse to their offices - communication will continue in their native classes. Anna Kozlova, a teacher of the Belarusian language and literature, prepared especially for this part:

With the younger graduation - children who graduated from school last year, I will make an unconventional class hour - for candy, small sweet prizes, I will attach questions. I would like the guys to share their impressions of their studies, especially of the first session. She specially selected aphorisms about students and studies.

Anna Vasilievna has been teaching for 40 years, and at the 174th gymnasium, the length of service is approaching 20 years. During this time, she has already managed to graduate three classes, and how many children she has learned - and she is not taken to count:

We are constantly in touch with children. There was no release for us to get lost. Recently, we have been writing off more often by Viber, they themselves offer to meet. Twice the children had an evening in a cafe. And, I remember, with my very first release, we met several times at my house. At that time, it was not customary to arrange meetings in schools. My family only supported this: my daughters were schoolgirls then, they liked to help me decorate the house for the arrival of guests. My husband is a teacher and works in this gymnasium. It was a joy to him, too.

Graduates have already invited Anna Vasilievna to the wedding more than once. And those who are younger often stop by for no reason, and sometimes seek advice. In general, the fates of graduates are different - with someone it is possible to see less often, with someone more often:

I have several couples - guys from the same class, from the parallel, who got married. Now they are bringing their children to first grade, and we meet almost every day.

Anna Vasilievna also keeps in touch with her own classmates. But they can no longer gather in their native walls. Remembering this is not easy:

My school is gone. She was in the Chernobyl zone. Ostroglyadovskaya secondary school in the Bragin district. We see classmates, though infrequently, but we do not get lost. We meet in jubilee years in different cities - in Minsk, in Gomel.


But today is not the time to be sad. Graduates will gather in the office soon. They will tell their stories, remember their school years and even brag about their achievements - after all, who else is able to enjoy their successes as sincerely as not those who were there and helped them enter adulthood?