The Millennium Celebrations of 1988 in the USSR

Abstract

The Moscow Patriarchate’s official celebrations of the Millennium of the Baptism of Kievan Rus’ took place in conditions of far greater freedom than anyone could have predicted even a few months beforehand. Foreign guests spoke of a more relaxed atmosphere than on previous visits and church spokesmen publicly called for specific concessions which they would not have dreamed of mentioning until recently. State officials had a prominent role in the celebrations, perhaps more prominent than was sometimes thought appropriate. But coverage of the events in the Soviet press was considerable, while the scale of the celebrations surprised many observers.