The Scarlet Sails, one St. Petersburg's main festivals, managed to gather almost 1,500,000 viewers last night. Graduates of the northern capital met their first morning of adult life on the picturesque Neva embankments, admiringly watching a fantastic show on the water and enjoying some breathtaking fireworks. But the main hero of this prom was a new brig, the Rossiya, with its raised scarlet sails.
Salima Zarif has the details on the festival that no other city in the world has.
You'll be hard pressed to find a more romantic event in the world. This elegant idea has a literary basis which is truly embodied in a spectacular fashion. To the music of Gliere and Dunaevsky, amidst the flashes of fireworks, a ship under scarlet sails appears on the Neva. 33 bogatyr warriors come out of the water. Peter the Great salutes the brig.
This time, the new Russian brig the Rossiya played the role of the galiot theSecret. 9,700 square feet of fabric were spent on the 18 scarlet sails. Its maximum speed is 16 knots. But in the Neva, maneuverability is what's most important. It's not easy for the crew to make it through the narrow water area with its constantly shifting winds, but they do it flawlessly. A grand fireworks display consisting of 50,000 volleys rattles over the brig.
This ship's sails are filled with a second wind, as are the spirits of these graduates, who are filled with optimism about the future. Every girl is Assol today. Every young man is Captain Gray. And they have great adventures ahead of them. 33,000 graduates from St. Petersburg schools received an invitation to the festival. This is a white night they are sure to remember for life.
"I think this is the beginning of a new life; an adult life, a more challenging life. This is how we'll welcome it".
"This is a huge step. We finished high school, now we're off to college".
"Goodbye to high school, hello to adult life. Soon, we'll have a job and problems to solve".
Graduates are congratulated by their favorite artists. Every year, various artists are invited to throw a show at Palace Square. But the sailboat is the only one, now it's never going to be changed.
Alexander Beglov, governor: "This year, as a great gift to the city and a symbol of the Scarlet Sails, we have a new brig named the Rossiya. Its home port will be St. Petersburg. From now on, it will carry the scarlet sails of hope and dreams. Dare. Dream. Love".
The torches atop the Rostral Columns burn as the graduates make their wishes. They believe their dreams will come true.
"I will drive Russia's IT industry into the future".
"Just live and be a good person".
"Be a president or a cosmonaut, I haven't decided yet".
Graduates had the same faith in the future more than 50 years ago. Back then, students celebrated graduation day with the first Scarlet Sails festival. Pioneers Palace came up with a play based on the Alexander Grin novel. The Rossiya Bank helped revive the event. The tradition has gone on without interruption since then. Graduates are wished fair winds. They, happy and excited, chant the name of their country and their brig.
Salima Zarif, Sergey Ishchenko, Dmitry Meshchersky, Alexandra Kolkova, Galina Orlova, Vesti, St. Petersburg.
