Russian Culture Guide: Holidays
An Introduction to Celebrations and Festivals in Russia
Mar 27, 2008
There are a wide range of holidays in the Russian Federation, official and unofficial. Here's a guide to public holidays and how they are traditionally celebrated.
Though Russians share a common Christian heritage with the countries of Western and Eastern Europe, there are a number of unique holidays in this country, from political survivors of the Soviet Union and secular celebrations to holy days that differ from their Western counterparts not only in tradition, but in date. Here is a list of the major Russian holidays and the dates of their celebration.
- The Russian New Year, or Novy God, is celebrated on January 1st. Many Russians also celebrat Stariy Novy God on January 13th (a good excuse for more fun). Following the Russian revolution of 1917 and the rise of the Bolsheviks, all religious holidays in Russia were banned--so the secular holiday of the New Year took on great significance. Many traditions associated with western Christmases are, in Russia, associated instead with the New Year, including Santa Claus (in Russia Ded Moroz) and the decorating of a fir tree.
- Russian Christmas, because of the old Julian calendar, used in Russia until 1918, falls on January 7th, after the New Year. Russians do not celebrate Christmas on the 25th of January. Now that religious celebrations are legal in the Russian federation, this holiday is celebrated by some--but it is much lower-key than the Western Christmas, and many people do not celebrate it at all. Russian Christmas is heavily associated with the Orthodox Church, and viewed by most as a religious, and not a secular, holiday. Currently in the Russian federation there is a nearly two-week official holiday (depending on here the dates fall on the calendar) encompassing the New Year and Russian Christmas, with most people having time off of work.
- Defenders of the Motherland Day, celebrated on the 23rd of February, and formerly known as Red Army Day , honors those who serve in the Russian Armed Forces. It has recently come to be seen as a sort of "Men's Day" when men are congratulated, even if they are not serving and have not served in the Russian of any other army.
- International Women's Day, celebrated on March 8th, is a major Russian holiday and an important tradition. On this day, men are expected to honor all of the women in their lives, including mothers, grandmothers, girlfriends, coworkers, et cetera. Women are presented with gifts, and there are few women on this day riding the Moscow Metro without a bouquet (or several) in their hands.
- Labor Day, celebrated as International Workers' Day under the Soviet Union, is anathema in the newly capitalist Russian Federation, but often used as a day for workers' associations to march in protest.
- Victory Day, celebrated on the 9th of May, is a major Russian holiday, celebrated with a cornucopia of fireworks in Moscow and military parades, and commemorating the surrender of Nazi Germany to Allied forces in Berlin.
- Russia Day, celebrated on the 12th of June, commemorates the "independence" of Russia from the Soviet Union, and the constitution of the new state. Always a rather controversial holiday (many Russians view the Soviet Union's collapse as a tragic loss of Russian power and influence in the world) the day was not celebrated in a large way until recently.
- Unity Day, celebrated on the 4th of November, commemorates the eviction of the Polish "False Dmitriy" from the Russian Kremlin and the polular uprising that drove the Poles from Russian soil. It celebrates the unification of the people of Russia to save Russian statehood and end foreign intervention into the Russian State's affairs.
- Foreign Holidays, most notably Valentine's Day and Halloween, are objects of some fascination in Russia, and are informally celebrated by many Russians as well as people living in the republics of the former Soviet Union. Halloween is celebrated in Moscow and many regional cities by adults at clubs and private costume parties, and by children at schools, often in conjunction with classes of English. Valentine's day is another excellent excuse to buy flowers and candy for Russian women, though not as essential as International Women's day.
- Muslim Holidays, such as Kurban Bairam and Uraza Bairam, are celebrated in regions with large muslim populations.
- There are also a number of Russian holidays which are not official, though they are widely celebrated. The most important of these holidays are Russian Orthodox Easter (in April or May), Cosmanaut Day (April 12th), and Maslenitsa (The week before Lent).
- Hopefully this article has given you a good knowledge of the major Russian holidays. You can find more tips on Russian culture here. And also a list of other resources for understanding Russian history and traditions.
The copyright of the article Russian Culture Guide: Holidays in Russia Travel is owned by Ray Nayler. Permission to republish Russian Culture Guide: Holidays in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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