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Knowledge and Flowers: Russia’s Back to School Day

This morning, millions of children in Russia have donned their school uniforms to mark the start of a new school year. While yawns and groans are ever present — as is typical for returning schoolchildren, there is much excitement to be found both within school campuses and the city of Moscow.

As well as textbooks and school supplies, hundreds of large bouquets of flowers can be seen in the hands of the returning children, which are traditionally given to their teachers to commemorate the start of the new academic year.

In order to celebrate the Day of Knowledge, the city of Moscow has organized a variety of educational back-to-school festivities within the city center, ranging from scientific lectures and a gigantic chess set on Tverskoi Boulevard to a new skate park and climbing wall on Novy Arbat.

The festival began on Aug. 24 and will continue until Sept. 4. A citywide celebration of all forms of knowledge!