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The History of “Scarlet Sails” Over the Neva

In the evening of June, 18, 2011, in Saint-Petersburg, a holiday of the Petersburg school-leavers “Scarlet Sails – 2011” will be held. The holding of the State M.A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve takes in documents relating to the history of this most romantic summer holiday.

The “Scarlet Sails” has become a visiting card of Saint-Petersburg, a unique event of international rate. The motto of the holiday “Russia is a country of opportunities” is a symbol of hope and confidence of the young generation in their strengths. Annually, over three million people gather in the city centre for the holiday to enjoy concerts, lazer gala shows followed by appearance of the old majestic brigantine “Three Crowns” under scarlet sails.

In previous years the school-leavers were handed artistic reproductions of the “Scarlet Sails”  with autographs-addresses from famous people.

The documentary holding of the State M.A. Sholokhov Museum-Reserve keeps a letter of the director M. Devyashin and chief editor of the Leningrad Group of Graphic Production Enterprises Y. Iliyin, which the writer received in February of 1973. The letter reads, that”… for two years already the Group of Graphic Production Enterprises has been greeting the Leningrad school-leavers with a souvenir “Scarlet Sails” timed for the holiday of the same name held for Leningrad youth during the “white nights”. The authors write: “This year we ask you, Mikhail Alexandrovich, to write some parting words for the young people entering into an adult life. For the boys and girls it would be an invaluable and memorable present. The production of the “Scarlet Sails” is timed for this April”. Some previous issues were enclosed in the letter.

Thus, 40 year ago, in 1971, the Leningrad school-leavers were addressed by the world first woman-cosmonaut, the Hero of the Soviet Union, Valentina Tereshkova: “A man enters into life with his dream about his great deeds, about happiness, about clear future. The dream, like scarlet sails, comes to him in his youth and leads him in all his life. You must be able to preserve it, fight for it, realize it! V. Tereshkova”.

A year later the school-leavers of 1972 were addressed by the People’s Actor of the USSR N.K. Simonov: “Scarlet Sails” is the age of bold dream, but to realize the dream you must employ your willpower, daring, labour. You are young, entering into a wide life. Dream, create, build a new clear future. The People’s Actor of the USSR N. Simonov”.

In 1973 the Leningrad school-leavers were handed in artistic photo reproductions “Scarlet Sails” bearing the best wishes of M.A. Sholokhov to the young people of Leningrad: “Each man in his youth sails in a brigantine. However a real man goes under scarlet revolutionary sails. The sailing man inevitably gets into the “boisterous fortieth latitudes”. And just here the quality of the rigging, the willpower and the skill of the brigantine captain have to undergo severe trials. It is important that in all circumstances both the sails and those who go under them should withstand! M. Sholokhov”.

All the reproductions show different photographs of brigantines with scarlet sails made by a Leningrad artist I. Narovlyanskiy.

Lyudmila Afanasiyeva