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From Russia With Love
Governor's slogan: "Give Birth to a Patriot on Russia Day"
According to the Daily Times in Pakistan, Sergei Morozov, governor of the Russian province Ulyanovsk, held Conception Day yesterday to boost declining birth rates. Employers were encouraged to grant a discretionary day off for love-making.
The holiday was timed exactly nine months before Russia's Constitution Day in 2008, so that mothers could, ideally, give birth on June 12. This is the third straight year for the competition, and since the the program began, the birthrate in the region is up 4.5 percent.
Couples who "give birth to a patriot" win money, cars, refrigerators, and other prizes, noted the UK Guardian. Yulia and Alexei Bexrukov won a 250,000 ruble prize (about $10,000) with the birth of their son, Andrei. Brexrukov explained: "It was a patriotic atmosphere, you know, when everyone around is celebrating, but I wasn't thinking of anything but my son. The whole thing is great, it's great to get 250,000 rubles when you have a new baby to take care of.''
"It is a wonderful idea to make September 12 a holiday," Governor Morozov is quoted by AFP as saying. "People can spend more time with their families, communicate, go to the cinema, and direct their energies along the needed course, not at least for the prosperity of Ulyanovsk."
More than 500 women signed up for last year's contest, and nine months later, 78 babies, triple the region's daily average, were born. To the happiness or chagrin of the laboring mothers, babies were welcomed into the world as Russia's national anthem was played.
Last night, there must have been something besides the national anthem playing on Russian boom boxes. Maybe Ulyanovsk patriots found an old cassette tape of KC and the Sunshine Band and clicked play on another party anthem: "Do a little dance / Make a little love / Get down tonight."
Juliana Luecking, aka Queen Juliana, is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Life & Love.
The holiday was timed exactly nine months before Russia's Constitution Day in 2008, so that mothers could, ideally, give birth on June 12. This is the third straight year for the competition, and since the the program began, the birthrate in the region is up 4.5 percent.
Couples who "give birth to a patriot" win money, cars, refrigerators, and other prizes, noted the UK Guardian. Yulia and Alexei Bexrukov won a 250,000 ruble prize (about $10,000) with the birth of their son, Andrei. Brexrukov explained: "It was a patriotic atmosphere, you know, when everyone around is celebrating, but I wasn't thinking of anything but my son. The whole thing is great, it's great to get 250,000 rubles when you have a new baby to take care of.''
"It is a wonderful idea to make September 12 a holiday," Governor Morozov is quoted by AFP as saying. "People can spend more time with their families, communicate, go to the cinema, and direct their energies along the needed course, not at least for the prosperity of Ulyanovsk."
More than 500 women signed up for last year's contest, and nine months later, 78 babies, triple the region's daily average, were born. To the happiness or chagrin of the laboring mothers, babies were welcomed into the world as Russia's national anthem was played.
Last night, there must have been something besides the national anthem playing on Russian boom boxes. Maybe Ulyanovsk patriots found an old cassette tape of KC and the Sunshine Band and clicked play on another party anthem: "Do a little dance / Make a little love / Get down tonight."
Juliana Luecking, aka Queen Juliana, is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Life & Love.
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