[I’m sorry that the problem with the pictures has not yet been solved, and that you have to visit my personal blog to see the pictures for today’s post. I hope that it will be solved as soon as possible, but until then – have patience! I consider my photos of/from Russia to be almost as imperative to this blog as grammatical information…]

With «День Победы» [Victory Day] May 9^th only three days away it is high time for us to start getting ready – «готовиться ко Дню Победы» [to prepare for; get ready for + dative: Victory Day (note that only the first word changes case, and pay extra attention to the addition of an «о» to the «к» because it is followed by two consonants in the beginning of the word «дню»)]. There are many ways one could start preparing the for this great holiday (a red day in the Russian calendar) – one could, for example, «поздравить ветеранов» [congratulate (war) veterans], try to catch a sneak peek of «симпатичных солдат» [cute soldiers] rehearsing for Saturday’s big parade or try out new ways to wear the holiday’s Number One symbol: «Георгиевская ленточка» [The St. George Ribbon]. «Ленточка» is diminutive of «лента» which means 1. ribbon, 2. tape, 3. band. The tradition of wearing the St. George Ribbon on Victory Day started as a public action in Russia back in 2005 and has since then grown into anything from a simple fashion statement to a way of portraying your innermost patriotic feelings or just showing you’re happy that WWII is over and that we haven’t had any WWIII yet. When I wear the St. George Ribbon I’m most certainly more in the third category than in any of the others. In Russia there are many ways to get a hold of this ribbon – since I don’t know how it is in the rest of the world you’ll have to fill me in on that if you have any information about this – you can buy it or receive it for free, for example. Today I read on our local news site that the political party «Единая Россия» [United Russia] was giving them out for free in downtown Yekaterinburg. On the same news site I read that there is a counteraction on the internet currently in Russia against this symbol: «В интернете вновь активизировался сайт противников акции “Георгиевская ленточка”. На сайте, который появился ещё в прошлом году, свои комментарии оставляют те, кто считает, что не достоин носить этот боевой символ.» [On the internet the site for those opposed against the action of the “St. George Ribbon” has again been activated. On the site that was created already last year people who consider themselves not worthy of wearing this war symbol leave their comments.] Of course, I’m not a fan of dressing up as over-the-top as the people on the pictures posted on this link, but I don’t think it the least offensive to wear ONE ribbon per person in early May. There are endless ways of using the ribbon. One needs only to use one’s imagination to come up with many new inventive ways. Usually Russians put it on their cars or on their bags. Already yesterday I felt a twinge of urge/need when I looked at my ribbon from last year – I wanted to wear it, but was afraid that Russians would consider it too early. Then I stepped out on the street yesterday morning and noticed that I was not the only one ‘feeling it’ – everywhere people were wearing the ribbon! That’s why I wore it today. How? You’ll find out on today’s last picture!

In 2007 I felt like I wanted a ribbon, since everyone was wearing them, but it wasn’t until last year that I really started to crave one. I had heard of all the places one could get one – but as I went out hunting for one on the 9^th of May last year there were none to be found anywhere. This made me very sad, and on the 10^th, as it rained and I walked a sad walk around town thinking about how I had been deprived of showing all these feelings that came to me so late in life. Since I’m Swedish such things as wars and Victory Days are foreign concepts to me and it took me many years – four years in Russia – to understand the importance of Victory Day. Then all of the sudden last year I found a ribbon lying on the asphalt in the dirt, and my heart stopped! I took it up and cleaned it off and pinned it to my jacket. I truly believe that this ribbon was made especially for me. I wore it today and was stopped a couple of times on the street by people asking: «Где вы взяли ленточку?» [Where did you get the ribbon?] But I had to disappoint them by answering: «Ещё в прошлом году» [Already last year]. Since I don’t know any war veterans that I can congratulate this week, wearing the ribbon is my way of celebrating.

Now let’s answer today’s important question: «Как носить Георгиевскую ленточку?» [How to wear the St. George Ribbon?]

«На куртке» [on your coat; jacket]. Doesn’t Dostoevsky (he’s on the little pin) look good next to orange and black?

«На сумке» [on your bag].

«На Чебурашке» [on your Cheburashka].

«На голове как бантик!» [on your head like a bow!] This is as patriotic and peace-loving I get 🙂