Russia is a great country, rich in culture and natural resources. There are a lot of objects in Russia that are on the UNESCO list. They are either natural or made by people. But there is also UNESCO intangible heritage list, which aims to preserve cultural heritage. Surprisingly and unfortunately our country is represented only by 2 items on this list. They are “The Cultural Space and Oral Culture of the Semeiskie”, and The Olonkho, Yakut Heroic Epos. As was said before our country is rich in culture and there is a lot more that can be included in this list.
Current work aims to study a new russian tradition “The Immortal regiment march” and give reasons for it o be included in the UNESCO heritage list.
The objectives of the research are:
- to collect information about UNESCO and its intangible heritage list;
- to study the criteria to be considered when selecting items to be included on the UNESCO list;
- to collect and analyze information about the Immortal Regiment March and make a conclusion whether this march worth the UNESCO heritage list ot not;
- to find and analyze foreign publications about the Immortal Regiment march;
- to hold a survey on the importance of the Immortal Regiment march.
This work is devoted to the Immortal regiment march and we believe that this tradition is important and should be protected.
The Immortal regiment march is a great part of the Victory parade that is annually held in Russia on the 9th of May to celebrate the victory over fascism and commemorate those who fought for freedom and peace.
Immortal Regiment history began in 2007. On the eve of May 9 Gennady Ivanov, Chairman of the Council of veterans in Tyumen region had a wonderful dream. He saw his countrymen passing with portraits of war veterans on one of the squares of the city. On the Victory Day Gennady K. took a picture of his father and supported by his friends carrying portraits of their relatives who had fought in the war, they joined the parade along the main street of Tyumen. That year there was a note “A family album at a parade” in a local newspaper and this action was not great in number and had no name. The following year the action grew in number and there was a long column of people holding the images of soldiers. The action was called "Parade of Winners".
Two years later, these parades were held in more than 20 regions of our country. Finally, in 2012, the action got its present name "The Immortal regiment."
In 2013 in Moscow about a thousand people took part in the Immortal regiment parade. In 2014 it had more than 40 thousand participants.
In 2015 on the day of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in Moscow about 500,000 people joined the march of the Immortal regiment and among them was President Vladimir Putin with a portrait of his father, a war veteran. This was an unprecedented scale action. The Immortal regiment parade was held in 1200 cities and brought together about 12 million of Russian citizens.
Immortal regiment stirred up the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, the Army and Navy veterans, home front workers and partisans, prisoners of Nazi camps, the blockade fighters,all who have made a personal contribution to the Victory over fascism. Personal Memory is the most important meaning of the "Immortal regiment."
Unfortunately, the Immortal regiment march was not shown in the West, but in 17 countries (including the USA, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Latvia) it was held by thousands of people who remember the history of the Second World War.
A nationwide public civil-patriotic movement "Immortal Russian regiment" steps into the future, relying on the great past. Its task is to perpetuate the heroism of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War, preserving the memory of the valor and heroism of the people, understanding the experience of heroic ancestors, restoring the connection between generations. And most importantly it brings a sense of belonging of man and his family history to the Motherland.
Criteria to be considered for inclusion on UNESCO intangible heritage list
Let us analyze whether the Immortal regiment march satisfies all the criteria to be enrolled on the intangible heritage list.
An element proposed for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity should satisfy all of the five criteria.
Criteria to be considered for inclusion on UNESCO intangible heritage list | The Immortal regiment march |
1. “intangible cultural heritage” can be manifested inter alia in the following domains: (a) oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; (b) performing arts; (c) social practices, rituals and festive events; (d) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; (e) traditional craftsmanship. | 1. The immortal regiment can be considered a social practice or a festive event |
2) Inscription of the element will contribute to ensuring visibility and awareness of the significance of the intangible cultural heritage and to encouraging dialogue, thus reflecting cultural diversity worldwide and testifying to human creativity. | 2) The immortal regiment raises awareness of universal value such as peace, it involves other countries, thus encouraging intercultural dialogue |
3) Safeguarding measures are elaborated that may protect and promote the element. | 3) Safeguarding measures are to be elaborated. |
4) The element has been nominated following the widest possible participation of the community, group or, if applicable, individuals concerned and with their free, prior and informed consent. | 4) The event involves millions of people |
5) The element is included in an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage present in the territory(ies) of the submitting State(s) Party(ies). | 5) The march has to be included in an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage of Russia. |
The research showed that the Immortal regiment march has all the potential to be enrolled on the UNESCO list of the intangible heritage, but our country has to be interested in it. According to the criteria analysis, the March satisfies only 3 criteria so far, and to satisfy the other 2 criteria Russia, being a State Party has to elaborate safeguarding measures that may protect and promote the element and to include this event in inventory of the intangible cultural heritage of our country.
Conclusion
We must remember that a new war begins when a new generation has forgotten the previous war. The Immortal regiment march is a very emotional event that unites people in Russia and creates the feeling of the country as a single family. It encourages younger generations to learn and remember about the history of their country and helps to develop patriotic feelings. This march also unites those countries where it takes place, so it is important to be safeguarded in terms of international communication, worldwide cooperation to combat terrorism and extremism. It is our duty to preserve and protect the memory of our heroes, to know about the history of our country and to unite and cooperate in order to fight against terrorism and extremism.
The research showed the Immortal regiment march satisfies 3 criteria out of 5 to be included on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage, and 2 criteria can be satisfied as long as our country is interested in it.