“Last call” melodies – what kind of melodies are they?
“Last call” is one of the most exciting holidays in everybody’s life. And, of course, all graduates have their own songs to say goodbye to their native school.
Today, 80 thousand young people in Turkmenistan have completed secondary education. Some of them will go to special schools to master a profession, some will prefer higher education institutions, and some will choose a diverse path. But this day, all of them hear the similar tunes – happy and melancholy, funny and sad.
Of course, any official celebration begins with the national anthem. The most distinguished pupils – winners of Subject Olympiads, medalists of sports competitions at the national and international levels, winners of creative reviews – were honored to listen to it on the square in front of the State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan, at one of the highest flagpoles in the world.
The “Last call” ceremony and awarding certificates and gifts on behalf of the President of the country were held for them here.
Then the celebration spread to the native schools, where the farewell to graduates was like a Turkmen holiday, joyful and bright. Musical congratulations of the younger pupils were performed in the courtyards. The works of domestic pop singers: Myahri Pirkulieva, Azat Donmezov, Gulshat Curdova, etc. were especially popular.
The invited musical groups performed folklore compositions, including “kushtdepdi” – a Turkmen dance that drives away evil spirits, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The highlight of the program, of course, was the traditional dance of graduates – many senior high school students preferred classical instrumental compositions, adding new notes to the symphony of feelings, performed today.
It hasn’t been without the song “School, I miss you” by the “Love stories” band. It is customary to release pigeons – white birds, like the graduates themselves, fly out of the schoolyard to find their place in the world.
Many last call ceremonies ended today with the song “Mähriban Watan” – a kind of anthem of the younger generation of Turkmen people.
Tomorrow they will have final exams, preparation for University entrance tests, and a lot of difficult decisions. In the meantime, the holiday continues in the streets of cities – happy graduates with painted and elegant green ribbons are congratulated by the whole country.
Altyn ASHIROVA
