For carrying flags – bonus

Rushed to the village

Vytautas Lupeika, a well-known member of Klaipėda, a former member of the city council, remembers the demonstrations of May 1 in Klaipeda. For him, who has worked for a long time in a city water supply company, he has repeatedly attended these events, then called the French word « parade ».

Not only V. Lupeika, but all older residents of Klaipeda can testify that the festive demonstration column was formed on Šaulių Street, which was then called the Soviet Army. Flags and transparators were buzzing with the representatives of the companies.

The gait was winding through Victory Square, which is now called Lithuanians, turning into Montė, now Herkaus Manto Street, the grandstand was located in Lenin Square (now Revival Square).

The whole demonstration ended as soon as the Old Town entered the Biržai Bridge. There, the company’s union leaders were waiting for trucks or buses. Flags and transparants were urgently stacked and transported back to the company’s warehouses.

This celebration was associated with potatoes with potatoes. Since the few cars had their own cars, they had to adapt to public transport, if the bus had to leave soon, the people who carried a flag or some transparator were asking them to carry them to the company’s car.

Vytautas Lupeika / Photo by Vytautas Liaudanskis

Released at a beer bar

« I remember well that I was immediately paid 10 rubles for the fact that I carried the flag of the Soviet Lithuania a few hundred meters to the Exchange Bridge. There are former post stables, ”V. Lupeika shared his memories.

Egidijus Kazlauskis, who worked for the Soviet -era at the test company, said that for the carrying of transparators with Soviet slogans in May, the staff received 20 rubles and only 10 rubles behind the flag or Lithuanian poster. This money was paid as a bonus, an attachment to a salary, not cash in hand.

I stood in the very edge of the column, I was closest to the grandstand, so I saw Brezhnev.

As a student of Kaunas Polytechnic Institute, he also had to participate in a demonstration of May 1st.

Once, Kazlauskis’ fellow student came to the « parade » completely drunk, apparently something celebrated overnight. Friends married him in a column, holding and tightening, but did not escape the challenge. When the Student Column approached the rostrum where the leaders of the party and the Komsomol stood, the motto « Long live Soviet student! »

The hot guy took out the pause of just a few moments to playing « Valio! » And he shouted the uncensored Russian wish to go somewhere far away.

« We realized that it could be bad. While we were hiking, it was calm, but we were just closer to the end of the parade, we grabbed it behind and disappeared between the house. Course friends said that the column, like flies, was confused by strangers when asked where the fool who shouted. Of course, no one said what he was and where he was gone, ”Kazlauskis recalled.

Saw L. Brezhnev

V. Lupeika recalled how unexpectedly he became a participant of the May 1 parade in Moscow. During the Soviet era, he was often sent on business trips in distant Russian cities.

Once upon a time, he had to move to another train in Moscow, so he had to wait half a day. Invented to look at the capital of Russia, Lupeika drove to its very center and saw a huge crowd of people, everyone attracted the Red Square.

Some unfamiliar men talked to him, asked where he was and what he was doing. He soon asked if Vytautas wanted to see Leonid Brezhnev (the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the actual ruler of the USSR). When he heard a positive answer, the Lithuanian bouquet of peonies and placed the bouquet of peonies in his hands and placed it into the end of a giant column.

« I remember to go for a long time. I stood in the very edge of the column, I was closest to the grandstand, so I saw Brezhnev. After that, those men usually didn’t let me go somewhere, brought me, and asked me how we live. I saw what wonder and admiration they looked at those packs. I was then taken to the train station. When I remember it now, it is hard to believe that it really was, ”said Lupeika.

Growing up in the family of exiles, he never felt a heart elevation to celebrate Soviet holidays, contrary to the secret of celebrating Easter or Christmas.