In Vladivostok there is a wonderful tradition to celebrate Tiger Day on the fourth Sunday of September. It was Vladimir Troinin who came up with an idea of the holiday, and 12 years ago, thanks to local ecological NGOs and city administration, the idea was brought into life. The main goal of the holiday is to attract attention of residents and guests of Primorye towards Amur tiger conservation issue. Tiger Day with a carnival procession is the brightest and biggest ecological holiday in Vladivostok.
This year the wonderful tradition of celebrating Tiger Day was carried on thanks to a long-continued and fruitful collaboration between the Phoenix Fund, Amur Branch of WWF-Russia, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Business Solution Agency and administrations of Primorsky krai and Vladivostok city. Thanks to ongoing support from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF), Dreamworld Conservation Fund, and other sponsors Tiger Day was celebrated not only in Vladivostok, but also in other cities of Primorye, namely Terney, Novopokrovka, Kirovka, Arseniev, and Luchegorsk.
The 12th annual Tiger Day Celebration was held in Vladivostok on September 25, 2011. White, black and orange parade units proceeded down Svetlanskaya street and circled the downtown square. Marchers, children and adults of different ages dressed mostly as tigers and with “tiger” make-up, chanted joyfully various nature conservation slogans, sang songs, read verses and roared as tigers. The parade itself comprised around 3,000 schoolchildren and university students in 50 units. They competed in the main contest – “the best parade unit” – that is why they used all available things such as balloons, flags, toy animals, ribbons, and masks, to adorn their unit goers. This year the Tiger Day Organizing Committee addressed the parade goers requesting to modify the decoration and formation of their parade units by inviting fancy-dressed bicyclists with decorated bikes in order to add originality and attractiveness to the procession. Bicycle is the most ecological and healthy means of transport, and usage of bikes during the holiday is very symbolic. The parade comprised not only units from Vladivostok, but also from other districts of Primorye. Moreover, one could see also the units represented by local companies and ecological organizations. In addition, about 2,000 spectators descended downtown to watch the parade. The weather cooperated this year; however weathermen had forecast scattered rain that day.
Vladivostok circus young performers who were twirling hula hoops around their waist, limbs or neck, swiveling ribbons and dancing with balls, led the carnival procession.
Having reached the central square, the parade units were judged by the jury. The winners are: 1th place – school # 62, 2nd place – school #60 of Vladivostok, 3rd place – school #12. At 13:30 a festive concert and various contests started on the central square. With great enthusiasm and excitement the children participated in an art contest drawing tigers with chalks on asphalt. There were pavilions where representatives of ecological organizations, such as Phoenix Fund, WWF and IFAW, told about their conservation efforts, handed out small souvenirs with Tiger Day logo, and painted children’s faces in a tiger design using face paint. Those who were interested in glass beads handmade creations had a chance of improving their skills thanks to a master class by Arseniev museum. At the Phoenix’ pavillion, a photo mobile with an image of tiger gave the guests of the festival a possibility to make a unique memory photo of Tiger Day.
At 15:00, after a series of performances by children dance groups, the winners of various contests received their awards on the central stage.
On can visit a photo gallery at the official website of the Tiger Day www.tigerday.ru and see how the holiday developed from a small event to an internationally recognizable holiday. The website serves as an information resource for those looking up-to-date information on Tiger Day, registration rules for participants, official rules for all contests, and coverage of main components of the event. First, the website was designed only for Russian-speaking audience, but we are expecting English and Chinese versions soon, because the holiday is celebrated now not only in Russia, but also abroad. For those willing to participate in the holiday, there is a section with official documents where they can find detailed information about the main goal of the holiday and its objectives, and terms and conditions of all contests. Moreover, there are a lot of extra materials on tigers that can be useful for everyone to prepare well for the holiday.
