Officially, 1 September is a workday, but you’re unlikely to see the first-graders parents show up to work. Even the relatives of older students often come to the first line-up made up of all the students standing by class in front of the school.
First graders are certainly in the center of attention here, as it is a new milestone for these kids. There are several traditions common for most schools. For example, there is the "First Bell". In Russia, a loud signal sounds at the start and the end of every lesson - called "the bell". On 1 September, a first-grader girl sounds a real bell to symbolize the start of the new academic year. She is often helped by a high schooler from the final year.
The other tradition is to present teachers with flowers. In former times, those were mostly late-blooming sword lilies, starworts and crown daisies, now roses are popular as well. There are no strict rules to it, but you can often see proud first-graders carrying bouquets of sword lilies almost bigger than themselves.
Children dress especially well on this day. White ribbons and other hair decorations are especially popular among girls. Sometimes, they can be really big.
The festival's theme song is "They teach it at school", most people who went to school in Russia or the Soviet Union know it by heart.
University students also gather for a special event dedicated to the start of the academic year. They are usually greeted by the university's Rector and famous graduates address the new students.
Many universities hold a ceremonial student initiation for the first-years. Usually, that's a cheerful informal event, where students can get familiar with each other and the university.
ITMO University will hold Freshman Day on 31 August. At 11 am, an interactive zone will start working on 49 Kronverskiy avenue, where one will be able to play football with robots. At 2 pm, a concert dedicated to the initiation of the first years will be held at the Music-Hall (4 Alexandrovsky park). At 3.30pm, the event will continue in the main building, where students will meet their deans and advisors, and get student cards and grade books.
Similar ceremonies will take place in other universities in the city such as St. Petersburg State University and First Medical University of St. Petersburg.
Photo credit: http://scoolzvl.ucoz.ru/