I'm now at 53 N 83 E in the near the east boarder of Altai Krai near the city of Barnaul. As I covered Kazakenstan's national anthem last week, this week I'll tell you a bit about the national anthem of Russia.
- The song is an adaptation of the anthem of the Soviet Union of 1944, with music originally composed by Alexander Alexandrov. The lyrics were revised for the anthem of the Russian Federation by Sergey Mikhalkov, who had supplied lyrics for versions of the Soviet anthem in 1943 and 1977. The revision removes any mention of Vladimir Lenin's ideas and the "unbreakable union" of the Soviet state, instead focusing on a country that is vast in area and rich in resources that will be entrusted to future generations.
- The hymn was adopted in late 2000 by President Vladimir Putin and replaced "The Patriotic Song", which had been the official anthem from 1990.
More can be learned at wikipedia.
Lyrics (an unofficial English translation)
Russia — our sacred power,
Russia — our beloved country.
Mighty will, great glory —
Your honors for all time!
Refrain:
- Glory to you, our free Motherland,
- Age-old union of fraternal peoples,
- Ancestor-given wisdom of the people!
- Glory to you, our country! We are proud of you!
From the southern seas to the polar regions
Spread our forests and fields.
You are unique in the world! You alone are like this —
Our dear land kept safe by God!
Refrain
Wide amplitude for dreams and for living
Gets opened up for us with each passing year.
Loyalty to the Motherland gives us strength.
Thus it was, is, and always shall be!
Refrain
And while I wrote about the French and English versions of "O Canada" this week I'm going to direct you to a recording of Canada's anthem done in Cree by 13 year old Akina Shirt on YouTube. She preformed at a Calgary Flames game in February 2007, the first person ever to perform "O Canada" in a Canadian Aboriginal language at a National Hockey League contest.
Keep on reading like mad! We're getting near the end!
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