Translated by Merdjen from the Russian blog

That is how during the daily fuss and routine of our lives we missed our dear Pushkin’s birthday. He would be 208 years old this year. Of course it isn’t exactly a ‘good round number’, but its still worthy of celebration. In a post-soviet region Pushkin remains the only sign of the distant soviet times, when portraits of the great poet were hung on each school wall and in every place of culture. In Turkmenistan this holiday was also celebrated:

In honor of this significant date students of the metropolitan Turkmen-Russian secondary school, which is named after this Great Russian poet, prepared fancy-dress literal and musical performance. Student of 3rd grade, Murat Djumageldyev, who has done it during two years, acted upon Pushkin role. The gala was concluded with Pushkin’s poem recital, including those translated into Turkmen language.

There are even two Pushkin memorials, while only one, albeit colorful, statue stands in celebration of Lenin.