The history of the International Festival of Peoples' Friendship originates in the distant 1945, when, after the end of the World War II in London, the youth gathered a world conference for peace. The first world festival of students and youth took place in 1947 in Prague. Then, seventeen thousand people from seventy-one countries of the world took part in it.
Since then, festivals under the slogans "For Peace and Friendship", "For Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, Peace and Friendship" and similar have been held with some periodicity and in different countries.
First Festival of Friendship of Peoples in Moscow
In 1957, the festival was first held in the USSR. In Moscow, it became the most massive in the long history of existence. It is estimated that 34 thousand people from 131 countries of the world took part in it. And then, when the word "foreigner" was synonymous with "spy" and "enemy" in the USSR, thousands of people from all corners of the world passed through the streets of the capital.
Every foreigner was exotic, every representative of his country - by someone extraordinary and previously unprecedented Soviet people. Thanks to the festival, then in Moscow there was a park "Friendship", the whole hotel complex "Tourist" and the famous stadium in Luzhniki. The Kremlin opened for visits. In general, the iron curtain opened a little.
Since that time, there have appeared styliks, fartsovschiki, and it became fashionable for children to give foreign names. And it was thanks to that festival that KVN appeared.
Festival of Friendship of Peoples of the World in Different Countries
Festivals were held not only in socialist countries, but also, for example, in capitalist Austria. The goal was to give an opportunity in a friendly atmosphere to communicate with delegates of the opposite camp, and sometimes even those with whom the war was fought. For example, between the US and North Korea.
Each new project of the festival of friendship of peoples is carried out in a new country with an interval of several years. The longest break occurred after the collapse of the socialist system in Eastern Europe and the USSR. However, the festival was restored.
The last festival was held in 2013 in Ecuador . And the next one, probably, will be held in Sochi in 2017.
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