• How Kherson citizens mourned on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Golodomor in Ukraine

How Kherson citizens mourned on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Golodomor in Ukraine

According to the data of the regional government administration about 2 thousand citizens of the regional center took part in the mournful procession and meeting-requiem on the occasion of 75th anniversary of Golodomor in Ukraine on November 22nd. According to other information sources there were 1000 participants, but at that time it was raining and squally wind was blowing. The atmosphere at the meeting was therefore uncomfortable.

The participants of the mournful procession were moving from the square of Liberty through Ushakova prospect, Molodezhnaya and Tiraspolskaya streets to the monument of Golodomor and totalitarian regime victims.

As the governor Boris Silenkov noted when speaking at the meeting-requiem “Light the candle” names of 13 thousand people that died in the region during Golodomor of 1932-1933 years were rescued from obscurity for today in Kherson region due to the work of voluntary groups of researchers. 305 population centers of the region suffered from Golodomor. Their names are stamped on the wall near the monument of Golodomor and totalitarian regime victims.

Priests of some religious confessions held a memorial service for all dead of Golodomor at the memorial. Those present rendered homage to their memory by a silence minute and laid flowers to the monument of Golodomor and totalitarian regime victims.

The same day the delegation from Kherson region of 70 people took part in the ceremonial events devoted to the 75th anniversary of Golodomor 1932-1933 that took place in Kiev.

The representatives of local government of the executive authority, witnesses and researchers of Golodomors, the representatives of youth organizations, students, heads of enterprises, establishments and organizations arrived at the capital from the region. The delegation from Kherson region was headed by the deputies of the governor Aleksey Bespalov and Mikhail Ashikhmin. The main delegation group from the region took part in the commemorative events that were held new the Memorial sign “Memory candle”. Particularly, they laid pots with candles to the memorial sign and after the Nation-wide silence minute took part in the Ukrainian action “Light the candle!”

But as soon as the requiem ended – the rain stopped. As it was rather warm that day pretty many Kherson citizens went out in the streets in spite of the wind. And against the request of the governor (and Kherson regional government administration to the citizens of the region, heads of enterprises, natural and artificial persons with the request to limit entertainments in the region, “provide the state flags at half-mast”) they started holding these entertainments. The restaurants and other amusement establishments were functioning to the full.

But despite RGA asked “all not indifferent people to light a candle in their own houses in honor of rendering homage to the people that died from Golodomor 1932-1933” on November 22nd from 4 pm to 12 pm within the Ukrainian action “Light the candle” people took up this call quite listlessly. In Kherson one could see single lights of candles only in few places as the last year. The windows of official buildings and establishments were also dark same as in 2007 – the exception was traditionally the windows of the governor’s office where 3 candles in pots were burning and one candle was burning in the administration of home policy of RGA in “White House” in the square of Liberty. Electric light wasn’t on in the office of Silenkov unlike last year – apparently the master wasn’t present this time and charged the night man on duty to look after the homemade lighting instruments who is usually stationed in the governor’s reception room on the sofa.