Russian Navy Day: Huge Summer Event in St. Petersburg, Russia
Russian Davy Day showcasing battleships on the Neva River, St. Petersburg, Russia.
St. Petersburg is a fantastic city, particularly on a beautiful summer’s evening on Russian Navy Day. I stumbled upon the event and it remains one of the abiding memories of my visit to St Petersburg.
Russian Navy Day, a national holiday in the Russian Federation, is celebrated on the last Sunday of July. Honoring sailors in the Russian Navy, the event held in St Petersburg showcases a flotilla of warships, sailing along the Neva River, from the Northern, Black Sea, Baltic and Pacific fleets.
The Russian Navy is a highly regarded and deeply respected institution within Russia. Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia, established the Russian fleet in October, 1696. His motivations for doing so are regarded as follows:
To transform Russia into a modern European power
To secure maritime access for the purposes of trade
To better defend Russia in the event of attack from the Ottoman Empire or Sweden, the major Baltic naval power at the time
Associated with St. Petersburg since 1939, and made an annual event in the city through a Presidential Executive Order in 2017, Russian Navy Day is an important annual event on the calendar for the city of St Petersburg.
I was out and about, doing some night photography, when I found myself by the Neva River just as a flotilla of battleships made their way down the river and out to sea.
I can certainly testify to the enthusiastic welcome the flotilla received from local Russian patriots as it passed by.
What a happy accident it was to find myself in St. Petersburg, the country’s historic European facing port, on the day when local folk come out to celebrate Russian naval power through a demonstration of battleships, weaponry, and a flyover of naval aircraft and helicopters.
Raising of the Palace Bridge (Dvortsovy Bridge) on Russian Navy Day.
Raising of the Palace Bridge on Russian Navy Day
An interesting thing I learned, while attending Russian Navy Day in St. Petersburg, was that the battleships are too large to pass underneath bridges along the route.
As a consequence, bridges are raised to allow these impressive Russian navy ships to pass through without incident.
I photographed this statue of a lion, with the Dvortsovy Bridge (Palace Bridge) raised in the background, just after the flotilla had passed through.
To get a clear and uninterrupted view of the statue, I had to raise my camera up above my head to avoid photographing some of the less inhibited folk dancing around, to the sound of congas.
Not quite the bitter sweet melancholy I'd expected from Russia, but a fun night out making photos just the same.
Actually, lion statues are popular and highly visible throughout many Russian cities. But, in no other city in Russia will you find as many lion statues as in beautiful St Petersburg.
In fact, the copper cast statues of lions, playing with balls in front of the Admiralty since 1832, are one of the city’s most recognizable sights.
Legend has it that these lions are guardians who, by keeping a paw placed on top of a ball, are able to stay awake throughout the night.
Peter and Paul Fortress at night on Russian Navy Day, St. Petersburg.
Beware of Drunkards on Russian Navy Day
Despite it having been a very warm day, it was cool and windy down by the Neva River on the evening when I happened upon Russian Navy Day celebrations.
I made this photo of the impressive Peter and Paul Fortress from Palace Bridge (Dvortsovy Bridge) during the proceedings. It looked amazing, illuminated at night against the fading sunset.
The embankment was crowded with a whole lot of well-watered local folk, making the most of the evening.
One of them was kind enough to butt a cigarette out on my jacket, burning a whole right through it. Fortunately, after a few moments of unease, detente was re-established.
Apparently, the perpetrator in question had been talking to me but, due to the crowded and noisy environment, not to mention the fact that I don’t speak Russian, I was unaware of that fact.
Fortunately, one of his companions, who spoke English very well, explained that his friend was a keen photographer who couldn’t understand why I was ignoring the geeky questions he was asking me.
Actually the crowd was very friendly but, when alcohol flows, there's always the chance for misunderstandings and this guy had got angry because he thought I was ignoring him.
““No! I’m Australian. There are no Kangaroos in Austria”.”
Tensions always seem to ease when I say I'm from Australia. After a handshake, a hug and numerous polite refusals of vodka, I was on my way again.
Friendly man and Lada car, Russian Navy Day in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Russian Navy Day: Vodka, Loneliness And Regret
After the ships had passed by I began to make my way back to the hotel. It was several kilometers walk, so I stopped to make photos along the way.
At one stage I stopped to photograph the desolate night scene you see above.
I'm sure it was the state of the old Lada car that drew my attention to this scene. There's a kind of melancholic beauty in such scenes.
After making a few images I was about to pack up my camera and tripod when I was approached by a smiling gentleman who looked like he'd had a fun night at the celebrations.
Sadly, I have no Russian and his English wasn't great. Nonetheless, he was fascinated by what I was doing and where I was from.
He became very emotional when he learned that I was Australian. Apparently, he had a brother who'd left Russia and ended up in Adelaide, many years ago.
Sadly, the two of them had lost contact over the years. I asked if I could help put them back in touch with each other. But my new friend told me that he no longer knew which city his brother was in, nor if he was even alive.
He was very happy to be photographed next to the old LADA car.
He made a comment alluding to the fact that the car was a kind of metaphor for Russia.
An eerie scene of windows and old city buildings, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Russia is Misunderstood and I’d Love to Return
I have to say that, from my own experience, Russian people get a bad wrap. While I interacted with a number of brusk, seemingly intolerant retailers and hotel staff, I also experienced the exact opposite.
In fact some of the Russian people I met were absolutely wonderful, showing me great kindness.
I also have very fond memories of a bunch of Russian tourists whom I travelled with to South Georgia Island, The Falkland Islands and Antarctica.
While a little reserved at first, once I got to know them I found these folk to be warm, generous of spirit and great fun to be with.
Russia is a huge and diverse country. Thus far I’ve only ventured to Moscow and St. Petersburg. But, hopefully, I’II have the opportunity to return and explore these and other cities in much more depth.
And to travel on, across the country, on the Trans Siberian or Trans Mongolian Express remains a dream I hope will come true before too much longer.
If you find yourself in St Petersburg, on the last Sunday in July, do make sure you find your way down to the beautiful Neva River to join with local folk and celebrate Russian Navy Day.
It really is a wonderful experience.
