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| Holidays in Russia, useful resources on Russian women and Russian culture, customs, traditions. |
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| Holidays, Days-Off in Russia |
Description
All the public and private offices are normally closed on
those days. Families and friends get together for dinners
and parties. Russian holidays present a mixture of new
and old, religious and secular, professional and private.
National holidays reflect multicolored Russian history.
Christian traditions were combined with pagan ones and
therefore strongly connected to the seasons and
agricultural cycle. Church holidays were mixed with those
introduced during the communist regime.
When a national holiday falls on a weekend day people
enjoy additional day-off because it is considered to be
unfair to miss either a holiday or a weekend. Here is the
description of the major official holidays.
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January 1 – The New Year
The New Year is probably the most popular holiday in
Russia. Its celebration similar to the celebration of
Christmas: the families gather around the table, people
wish each other all the best and give presents to the
members of their families. This is considered to be a
family celebration, with people dressed as Grandfather
Frost (the Russian equivalent of Father Christmas) and
Snow maiden, the traditional bearers of gifts.
The President addresses the nation and says how the next
year will be better, then he wishes his people Happy New
Year, all the best, then the Kremlin’s chimes go, at that
moment someone in the family opens the bottle of
champagne [damages a bit of furniture, glass and someone
in the family], exactly at 12 everyone congratulates each
other, cheers, no kissing please, and drinks the
champagne while the anthem is on.
New Year’s trees? How funny is that? New Year’s Tree is
exactly like Christmas tree and serves only one purpose,
aside from that all mushy-wussy holiday spirit; you get
your presents under the tree. The adults exchange the
gifts somewhere after midnight
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January 7- Christmas
For many Russians, a return to religion represents a
return to their old roots and their old culture.
Throughout Russia, after Christmas Eve services, people
carrying candles, torches, and homemade lanterns parade
around the church, just as their grandparents and great-
grandparents did long ago. The Krestny Khod procession is
led by the highest-ranking member of the Russian Orthodox
Church. After the procession completes its circle around
the church, the congregation reenters and they sing
several carols and hymns before going home for a late
Christmas Eve dinner Russian Orthodox.
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January 14 – New Year’s Day
Discrepancy between church calendars leads to the fact
that January 14th corresponds to January 1 in the Julian
calendar. And for those people who celebrate Christmas on
7 of January it is logical to meet the New Year seven
days later. Others prefer not to lose a good chance to
welcome the New Year twice. Old New Year is not a day
off, but is a traditional holiday in these parts of the
world. Celebrated on the night January 13/14, it comes
from the times when the calendar in Russia was two weeks
behind the Gregorian calendar. They should’ve moved the
Christmas two weeks too, but they did not. So, we first
celebrate New Year then Christmas, so does Orthodox
Church.
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February 23 – Man’s Day. Defenders of the Motherland Day.
Until recently this holiday was known as Soviet Army Day
but nowadays it has become a holiday for all men by
analogy with the similar Women’s Day. Men are
congratulated and given presents.
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March 8th – International Women’s Day
On this day, it is traditional for men of all ages to
give presents and flowers to the women they love.
Particular attention is paid to women inside their
family. In a way, it is similar to such holidays as
Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
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Easter: the date varies with each year. (Paskha)
The dates on which Lent and Easter fall change every
year. On Easter Sunday, St. Petersburg churches are
filled with worshipers, the evocative sound of smell of
incense. Russians traditionally greet each other with
Khristos voskres (Christ is risen), to which the reply is
Voistine voskres. (He is truly risen).
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Labor Day: May 1, 2
Even though no longer celebrated as International
Workers’ Solidarity Day, this event, now known as Labor
and Spring Holiday, retains the festive nature, with
colorful parades through Moscow’s Red Square and St
Petersburg’s Palace Square.
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Victory Day: May 9
After a rather somber ceremony at Piskarevskoe Cemetery,
smartly-dressed veterans, festooned with medals and
awards, fill Nevskiy prospect and Palace Square in
commemoration of the Nazi surrender in 1945.
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City day, last week of May.
To celebrate the day the city was founded, 27 May 1703,
the City Day festival is packed full of events, from
Peter the Great look alike-contests to one of the most
impressive fireworks displays to be held in the city all
year. The manifold festivities all take place in and
around the Peter and Paul Fortress.
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Independence Day (12 June)
The day Russia became ‘independent’ of the Soviet Union
is marked with fireworks at 10 pm.
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National Reconciliation Day: November 7
A traditional holiday for nearly 75 years to commemorate
the Anniversary of the October Revolution (on the old
calendar, the revolution took place on Oct 25). No longer
a state holiday, many Russians continue to celebrate not
having to celebrate the 1917 Revolution anymore!
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Constitution Day: December 12
When Yeltsin’s new constitution replaced the Brezhnev’s
version, a new constitution day replaced the old one.
Fireworks are set off all over town at 10 p.m.
Independence Day, which commemorates the adoption of the
Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation in
1991.
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