Russian holidays
Russian state holidays
Christmas and Easter – Orthodox holidays
Knowledge Day and City Day (the anniversary of the founding of Moscow)
New Year’s – a Russian’s favorite holiday
What is Old New Year’s?
The 8th of March and the 23rd of February
The 9™ of May — a holiday with tears in your eyes
What are Maslenitsa and bliny?
Congratulating your friends and colleagues on a holiday
In Russia, as across the world, there are state and national holidays as well as family and personal ones. Russian state holidays include January 1st (New Year’s Day), February 23rd (Defenders of the Fatherland Day), March 8th (International Women’s Day), May 1st (Labor Day), May 9th – (the Day of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) over fascist Germany), June 12th (Independence Day), November 4th (People’s Unity Day), and December 12th (Constitution Day). Recently, religious holidays have also come to be widely celebrated, in particular Orthodox Christmas on January 7th, and Orthodox Easter in the spring. All of these holidays are non-working days in Russia.
There are also many holidays that celebrate particular professions, such as Teachers’ Day, Fishermen’s Day, Geologists’ Day, and many more. Russia also observes international holidays, such as the International Day of the Protection of Children, and International Students’ Day. Russia also celebrates the anniversaries of the city’s founding, of social organizations, of institutes of learning and of factories. For example, the 850th anniversary of the founding of Moscow, the 250th anniversary of Moscow State University, and the 50th anniversary of the Likhachev automobile factory were all celebrated. On the eve of these holidays, ceremonial meetings are typically held, as well as other festivities, such as concerts. In Moscow, the largest ceremonial gatherings are always held at the Kremlin State Palace. Similar gatherings can also be held in enterprises and academic institutions around the country.
Every year, the anniversary of the city’s founding is widely celebrated in Moscow on the first Saturday and Sunday of September. Various cultural events are held in the city center and throughout the rest of city, including processions, concerts, and festive gatherings in the streets and sguares.
The first of September is Knowledge Day. On this day, the new school year begins at all schools and universities, and solemn celebrations take place all over Russia.
Until now we have spoken only of national holidays, but there are a great many family and personal holidays that are also celebrated in Russia. First and foremost are birthdays. Birthdays are celebrated both at home with one’s family, and at work with one’s colleagues. Wedding anniversaries are also actively celebrated, especially significant anniversaries like the 25-year silver anniversary, and the 50-year golden anniversary. Russians also celebrate retirement. Women have the right to retire at the age of 55, and men at 60. Russians also celebrate many other events with their families and close friends, such as graduating from school or university, and the completion of a dissertation, or even moving into a new apartment.
Probably the most popular holiday in Russia is New Year’s. Russians anxiously await and prepare for New Year’s. They buy New Year’s trees, and even up until now it has been customary to buy a real spruce, rather than an artificial one, especially if there are children at home. As the holiday approaches, people decorate their trees and their homes, and exchange gifts. Although it is common to celebrate the coming of the New Year with one’s family, as in other countries, the youth tend to celebrate New Year’s with their friends, at New Year parties or otherwise. As on other holidays, it is customary to invite people to come visit. At midnight, people open bottles of champagne, make wishes for the new year, congratulate one another and make merry until late into the night.
New Year’s Day is always marked by a richly set table. Champagne, tangerines, and ‘olivie’ salad have been its integral parts for many years. It is no wonder that the smell of tangerines makes every Russian reminisce about New Year’s. Although ‘ol-ivie’ salad can be found on the table in every Russian home, every hostess cooks it in her own way. The necessary ingredients are boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, green peas, boiled sausage (or boiled meat), salted or pickled cucumbers, and mayonnaise, but every hostess adds additional ingredients to her own taste.
It should be noted that New Year’s is celebrated by everyone in Russia, whereas Christmas, as opposed to in other countries, has begun to be widely celebrated only recently. Yet another interesting peculiarity is that in Russia, New Year’s is celebrated twice. On the 13th of January we mark the Old New Year’s (New Year’s Old Style), though, of course, not so widely as on the first of January.
In Russia, Christmas Day is celebrated after New Year’s on the 7th of January, and every year more and more people have come to observe this holiday. On Christmas Eve people go to church, often staying for the night-long religious service and congratulating one another there. Every year on Christmas Day, the religious service is telecasted live on all the central television channels.
In spring, yet another favorite Russian holiday takes place: March 8th, International Women’s Day. On this day in Russia it is customary to congratulate all the women that you know, beginning with the youngest ones. Even at school on this day, the boys congratulate all of the girls. And of course, at work and at university, the men congratulate their female colleagues and give them small gifts, usually consisting of flowers or candy. On this day, a man can say even to a woman that he doesn’t know, ” Congratulations!”
In return, so-called Men’s Day (actually, Defenders of the Fatherland Day) is celebrated in February, although not as widely. On this day it is common to congratulate all men, not only those whose professions bear a relation to the defense of the Fatherland.
Orthodox Easter is also celebrated in the spring. As on Christmas Eve, people go to church to be present at the Easter religious service. And, like on Christmas Day, the religious service is telecasted live on all the central television channels.
The 9th of May is a holiday unlike any other in Russia. This is the Day of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), a day of remembrance for all the people who perished in that war, and a day of remembrance for all the veterans of that war. This is a holiday with tears in your eyes. You will learn about it in a special chapter.
The 4th of November is People’s Unity Day, a holiday which has only been established recently. Before that, the 7th of November (the Great October Socialist Revolution Day) had been celebrated for many years in Russia, but owing to changes in the political situation within Russia, and in order to reconcile people’s differing political convictions, the date and the name of the holiday were changed.
Yet another interesting Russian holiday to note is Maslenitsa (Pancake week), a holiday to mark the passing of winter. This tradition of parting with winter has remained since heathen times. Every day of Maslenitsa week has its own name, and all week long Russians cook bliny (pancakes), treating their relatives and friends to them. Bliny are a Russian national dish made from flour. There are a great number of recipes for cooking bliny: ones made with unleavened and leavened batter, ones from wheat, buckwheat and millet flour, ones with various sweet fillings, such as jam or honey, and ones with non-sweet fillings, such as curds, meat, fish and even caviar. Bliny are a very delicious and filling dish, so foreigners coming to Russia should always seek them out. On the Sunday at the end of Maslenitsa week, a ‘chuchelo’ (a straw figure representing Winter) is burned. This Sunday is called Forgiveness Sunday. On this day Orthodox Russian people beg each other’s pardon, since the next day marks the beginning of Lent.
And now a few words about congratulating people on these holidays. You should pay attention to the fact that it is customary in Russia to congratulate relatives and friends by giving them not only gifts, but special cards as well, often sending such cards or telegrams by mail. There are beautiful cards designed especially for each holiday, as well as cards with finished congratulations written in verse. All in all, there is a wide selection, and it does matters to a Russian which card you have given him. The text of holiday cards is usually fairly extensive, consisting of several sentences. Naturally, the form and style of congratulation depends on whom you are congratulating — an official, a colleague, an elder man, or your friend or relative. In any case, it will be proper to say «С праздником!» (“Happy holiday!”). We should also note that this tradition has lately been disappearing, especially among the youth, who prefer to send their congratulations by mobile phone or over the internet. But even in this case, the congratulations will be not only verbal, but will be accompanied by a specially chosen pretty card.
For easy navigation of the site use the search at the top