Not to scare migrating geese, WWII veterans give up fireworks

Moscow, May 7 (IANS/RIA Novosti) World War II veterans in the Russian city of Kologriv have shown a laudable disregard for celebrations in their honour. They have asked the administration to scrap a fireworks display to mark Victory Day so as not to scare migrating waterfowl.

Since 2005, Kologriv, a city of 3,400 in Russia's central Kostroma region, has celebrated Goose Day May 11, two days after Russia marks the Allied victory in World War II.

The city has been dubbed "the goose capital of Russia" by media due to the hundreds of thousands of graylag geese that stop over in Kologriv's forests in early May during migration.

"The geese feel safe in Kologriv. It's the only place where they don't post sentinels around the flock's perimeter when feeding," said Mikhail Prostov, an official with the regional department of culture.

He did not say whether the request would be granted or how many veterans there are in Kologriv.

Victory Day, a public holiday, remains one of the most revered and spectacularly celebrated holidays in Russia 68 years after the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Red Army and its Western allies.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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