The wartime New Year's Tree festivities were conducted between December 26, 1944 and January 20, 1945. The decision to conduct the festivities was made by the Soviet government in celebration of the final stages of the war against fascist Germany. At that time, Soviet soldiers had pushed the German Army beyond the borders of the Soviet Union.
Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, who attended the wartime New Year's festivities as a child, attended this year's festivities that started on Sunday, as well.
"The new year of 1945 was a victory year for all of us. For the first time during the war, the government decided to conduct New Year's festivities for children despite the fact that it was still an uneasy time; the blackout was still enforced and we still feared German bombing raids. Nevertheless, the anticipation of the victory was growing in our hearts," the Mayor recalled.
He said that 60 years ago, more than 130,000 young Muscovites attended the New Year's Tree festivities; many of them have just returned from evacuation.
Mr. Luzkov hung a wartime decoration of the 2004 New Year's Tree and helped children to light the tree. "If we managed to defeat the enemy in 1945 and did not fear anything, then even an evil Wolf, who tries to stop us from lighting the New Year's Tree cannot do it," the Mayor pointed out.
"The New Year's Tree of Victory" celebrations will last through the entire holiday season, from January 2 till January 7, 2005. The entire territory of the Hermitage Garden is decorated in the spirit of the New Year's Tree celebrations of 1944, according to preserved photographs and archive data.
Here, people can see decorated, fairytale-style playgrounds and windowsills criss-crossed by strips of paper, a carousel, an ice-run, military equipment, wartime propaganda billboards, and a New Year's tree decorated with wartime garlands and toys.
Military patrols meet the new arrivals at the entrance. The guests can taste porridge prepared by field kitchens. In addition, Sovinformbureau communiques and wartime songs constantly sound in the air.
On Sunday, more than 1,200 people attended the opening ceremony of the New Year's Tree of Victory celebrations, but the main guests were certainly about 100 veterans, who attended the New Year's Tree celebrations 60 years ago.
