Cossacks

May is a big Praznik (holiday) month for Russia. Starting with May 1st which is Labor Day, and is celebrated by parades and of course, fireworks. This year Memorial day was in May also. It is usually recognized the Monday after Easter and is a day when Russians go to the graveyard and put flowers on their deceased parents graves and say special prayers, which often ends up being a family reunion at the grave sites, with food and drinks. Then a very big celebration for Russia is Victory Day on, May 9th, signifying the victory over Nazi Germany, in 1945, in World War II. It is an important military marker as well as a time of sorrow, remembering those who died during the war.
A military parade is organized along with demonstrators. We have in the past gotten pictures of the demonstrators with there signs of Stalin and Soviet flags. But this time we captured the pride of the well known Cossacks. They are known for there help in times of War and were assembled in Krasnodar Krai region as border protectors during war times. Their origin comes from Polish and Russian serfs and independent Tatar people. Their military careers, for boys, starts when they are born, when it is said that the fathers put a weapon in their hand, and continues through their life; training with weapons and learning, as in the past, to ride and fight on horses.
The Russians in general have pride, but the Cossacks seem to have even more. In these pictures they proudly display their war medals and Cossack gear.










































children in their Cossack uniforms.








Young Cossack girls hamming it up for the camera.

















Today the Cossacks still patrol borders and are always ready for the command to take up arms. They currently protect the Georgian border and Caucasus borders. They still uphold the reputation of being a strong force that takes their job to the extreme, and will fight to the end.





Here is a small boy that is dressed in his Cossack uniform ready for a life of fighting.