Nizhny Novgorod Militia Day is an annual regional holiday established by a resolution of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Legislative Assembly dated September 20, 1994 (No. 92), at the request of the regional internal affairs directorate.[5] The resolution fixed the holiday in the first ten days of September and tied it to Nizhny Novgorod City Day.[5]
Establishment and concept
The initiative to create a separate regional holiday came from the leadership of the Nizhny Novgorod militia. According to Viktor Bratanov, head of the Main Internal Affairs Directorate for Nizhny Novgorod Region, the holiday was conceived not as a departmental celebration but as a citywide event: an opportunity for residents to see the militia at work, and for officers to demonstrate their capabilities.[3] The timing alongside City Day was motivated by practical considerations: two consecutive holidays were perceived as a single grand celebration.[3] The first observance in 1994 was ceremonious: a parade took place with 1,150 militiamen participating, the best units were presented with standards, and distinguished officers received awards. It was later discovered that exactly 75 years earlier, in September 1919, the first city militia parade had been held in Nizhny Novgorod — a coincidence interpreted as a symbolic revival of the tradition.[3]
Format of the holiday
Since 2003, the holiday has been held at the Dynamo stadium under the motto "The Nizhny Novgorod Militia — for the Young People of Nizhny Novgorod" and features sporting competitions: relay races, arm wrestling, team running in bulletproof vests, tug of war, mini-football, and other events.[3][2] The competitions involve mixed teams of children and their militia-officer parents, representing the districts of Nizhny Novgorod and towns of the region — Balakhna, Kstovo, Dzerzhinsk, and others.[2] For children, horse riding and rides in police vehicles are organized, along with fairground attractions; amateur performance groups, cadets of the Nizhny Novgorod Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and students of the Nizhny Novgorod Cadet Corps perform on stage.[2] The programme concludes with a fireworks display.[2]
Traditionally, the holiday opens with a formal rally at the Main Internal Affairs Directorate Memorial Complex, followed by a parade and an official opening ceremony.[2] On this day, orders are issued commending distinguished officers, including those on active duty assignments.[3]
Change of format in 2004
In September 2004, following a series of terrorist attacks in Russia, the GUVD leadership decided to change the format of the holiday. On September 11, 2004, a memorial rally was held at the GUVD Memorial Complex in honor of militia officers who died in the line of duty and victims of terrorist attacks: a children's choral ensemble performed "Ave Maria," and balloons and doves were released into the sky. That same day, a vehicle carrying gifts for children injured in the school terrorist attack was dispatched from the GUVD building to Beslan.[1]
Sources
- NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Day of the Nizhny Novgorod Militia is observed on September 11. Nizhny Novgorod News
- Vremya N — Ceremonial events dedicated to the celebration of the Day of the Nizhny Novgorod Militia will take place on Saturday
- Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — A special day for the Nizhny Novgorod militiaman
- giport.ru — September 13 — Day of the Nizhny Novgorod Militia
- base.garant.ru — Resolution of the Legislative Assembly of Nizhny Novgorod Region dated 20.09.1994 No. 92 "On the establishment of the annual holiday 'Day of the Nizhny Novgorod Militia'" — GARANT