Russian Revolution 1917, Julian Calendar, time zones, and International Women's Day in Russia …

 

Our history group has moved on from the French Revolution to the Russian Revolutions of the first part of the 20^th century … which of course was fine at the beginning of the year … but now by far worse – as the 'man-devised', despotic, brutal humanitarian disaster continues in Ukraine …

Women's Demonstration for bread and peace,
Petrograd - 1917

… definitely not something I wanted to write about … which is why I held back in mid February, being uncertain what to write.

I am going to belatedly to mention International Women's Day … initiated by women joining in the peaceful Petrograd (St Petersburg) protest of 1905 … leading to the crowd being fired on by the Imperial Guard – now known as Bloody Sunday 1905.

German Poster for IWD
1914

After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917 (the beginning of the February Revolution) – International Women's Day on February 23^rd in St Petersburg was made a national holiday. This date in the Julian calendar equates to the today's world accepted Gregorian calendar date of 8^th March …

It's accepted from 1582 onwards for all but four areas in the world to use this calendar – the exceptions are Ethiopia (Ethiopian calendar), Nepal (Vikram Samvat and Nepal Sambat), Iran and Afghanistan (Solar Hijri calendar).

Russia changed in 1918 … hence the date discrepancy … because Russia is so enormous … the date change after 31 January 1918 (the old Julian calendar date) became 14 February 1918 in the newly accepted Gregorian calendar … it then took until 1920 for the change to fully take effect.

Pictogram of Russian time zones

Other interesting things of note are the time zones across Russia – there are eleven of them! Fancy keeping track of those … but thankfully the railways and air travel follow local time …

... Russian Daylight Saving Time has 'fallen away' since 27 March 2011 when clocks were advanced, but did not go back …

Book cover

So back to why I was writing this post … however the rabbit holes of links to Kurkov, recommended by Orlando Figes – whose book Natasha's Dance I have here (a broad cultural history of Russia) – and other rabbity holes!  

Kurkov (see my previous post) described another of Figes' books The Whisperers as 'one of the best literary monuments to the Soviet people'.

Hermitage Museum complex

Here's a couple of links:

The Whisperers - by Orlando Figes - private life in Stalin's Russia ... 

Scarlet Sails - celebration of
music and the arts - per popular
1922 Children's Book
by Alexander Grin
(in St Petersburg on the 
River Neva)

The Guardian "The Women's Protest that sparked the Russian Revolution 1917"    

There's such an enormous cultural and historical story line around the northern continental area that is today described as Russia, which at one stage included Alaska to the east ... 

... I hope the present situation will not obliterate the history we've come in recent times to learn about and appreciate ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

PEN Ukraine … a Penguin who/which helped an author to this position …

Death and the Penguin - I found this book and was enticed by the title … as I'm sure you will be …

… it's described as a tragicomic masterpiece … the blurb needs to be read to get an idea of the underbelly in the story …

Kurkov lives/d in Kyev when he wrote his stories … the New York Times describes the tale thus: “A striking portrait of post-Soviet isolation … in this bleak moral landscape Kurkov manages to find ample refuge for his dark humour” …

Reading the book brought back so many memories of my very brief time spent in Brno, Czechoslovakia, at an exhibition and the few years I worked with an organisation exporting capital plant and machinery to Eastern Europe in the early 1970s.

Brno, now in the
Czech Republic

I was always accompanied by a member of the British contingent of exhibitors – wherever I went – and we were always indiscreetly followed, even in the lift.

Death and the Penguin was written in 1996, published here in 2003 … so when the Ukraine of a few weeks ago was becoming that Ukraine (the one we knew), after the break up of the Soviet Union, for them 21 January 1990 was when Ukrainians formed live chains, by holding hands, in support of unity – establishing the principle of having choice.

Contemporary political map of
the Caucasus

I found his works when I was checking out Ukrainian, Olia Hercules' culinary journey books about Ukraine and the Caucasus (the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea). I am keen to learn more about the region.

So when BBC Radio4 broadcast Kurkov's the first instalment of 'Letter From Ukraine' – I listened with interest …

It is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015h6b

The first of three episodes on 'the tumultuous events of the last few days and his family's flight from their home in Kyiv'.

Kurkov on the cover of
Culture and Life magazine
2016

For all authors – note bene! He had difficulty getting his first publishing contract … and had 500 rejections … but eventually started publishing independently … he was elected President of PEN Ukraine in 2018.

When the invasion commenced I was about to write something historical on International Women's Day - 8^th March … which I will get to next … co-incidences of life …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories