It's a Celebration

On 1 December 2005, the vegetarian movement in Russia marked the 104th anniversary of the first Russian vegetarian society, which was set up in St Petersburg. Although vegetarianism first appeared in Russia as early as the 14th century, it received a serious boost at the end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century when the famous Russian writer and philosopher Tolstoy claimed that a vegetarian lifestyle made more sense from a moral, ethical and medical point of view. The first Russian Vegetarian Congress took place in April 1913, in Moscow. By that time, the vegetarian societies organised a number of activities. They had opened cafes and restaurants in 24 cities, founded vegetarian hospitals and published newspapers and magazines. Vegetarianism was widespread throughout the country. The revolution of 1917, however, abruptly put an end to all activities, when the Soviet government declared that vegetarianism was a reflection of the bourgeois lifestyle and ideology and therefore harmful to the Soviet people. In 1929 the last vegetarian society in Moscow was closed and leaders of the organisations were persecuted, arrested and sentenced. Even the word „vegetarian“ was taken out of Russian dictionaries. In 1961, the Soviet Encyclopedia commented that „...vegetarianism is based on false ideas and has no followers in the Soviet Union...“

Perestroika in 1989, saw the re-establishment of a vegetarian society which is now headed by T.N. Pavlova. We wish you a very happy 104th anniversary.