Armenian Independence Day Parade
Yerevan, Armenia
Red and blue and orange face paint is in short supply. Banners flap and flags ready their positions. The last flags have been purchased. Crowd control ribbons are strategically placed to control the viewing lines. Children’s closets are scanned for flag colours. Officers military regalia pressed and pleated. Streets swept for processional viewing.
The parade festivities are all set.
It is the twenty fifth anniversary of the Armenian Republic and the people are ready to celebrate their country’s successes so far. Top down Soviet rule ended for most satellite countries in the early nineties and Armenia scrambled with the rest of the empire to grow up fast with little warning. As Armenia prepares for it’s anniversary, Russia’s involvement is more from the side, the north side.
Now regular flyovers warn Turkey and Azerbaijan the Russians are still available if the hot button is pushed. But today, the skies are an open canvas, as planes and helicopters comb the blue with synchronized formations and flag coloured tailings. The people, tiny beings below, squint with mouths gapped open in awe. It is a day celebrating freedom and, like many places, there is loyalty and allegiance smattered with a lot of festivity.
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