Calendar of events

New Year

 

The New Year is one of the main holidays not only in Russia, but also all over the world.
Since X century they celebrated New Year on March, 1, in XV century New Year was transferred to September, 1. Peter the Great changed a calendar according to the West-European standard, cancelled ancient chronology from creation of the world and decreed to enter calendar from Christ birth that transferred Russia from year 7208 to year 1699. They began to celebrate New Year on January, 1, but again with backlog for 14 days from the Gregorian calendar.

New Year's Day is the most beloved holiday for all Russians. There are few reasons for this. First, this holiday connects everyone with their childhood, in particular with their youthful dreams, hopes and beliefs in miracles. Another reason is that the holiday usually lasts more than a week because of the Russian Orthodox Christmas, which immediately follows the New Year. These two holidays provide about 10 days off for Russians, like a nice winter vacation. Russians try to use this time as best as they can. Many people go to the country side to ski, escape the hustle and bustle of city life, and get some real winter rest. Others love to stay at home with their relatives and friends. New Year’s day is considered to be a holiday when people spend time with their family. Most Russians get fur trees shortly before the holiday season and decorate it with different toys and lights. Russians do not decorate their windows as in western countries; however, in the past few years this tradition has slowly grown and sometimes you can see lights in the windows of people's homes. Some cities, which are closer to the border, like Vyborg (about 120 kilometers north from St. Petersburg) are more influenced by the West.

 

 

 

Christmas

 

During the Soviet era, religious celebrations were discouraged by the officially atheist state. As a result, Christmas celebration in Russia was not as widely followed as in Western countries. Instead, emphasis was shifted to the New Year celebration.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January (which corresponds to 25th of December in the Julian calendar). The tradition of celebrating Christmas has been revived since 1992, after decades of suppression by the Communist government. On Christmas Eve, there are several long services, including the Royal Hours and Vespers combined with the Divine Liturgy. The family will then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honour each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the "Vsenochnaya" - All Night Vigil and then again, on Christmas Morning, for the "Zautrenniaya" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity.

During the time of Soviet rule, Russian Christmas traditions were largely kept alive by shifting some of them, including the visit by gift-giving "Ded Moroz" - "Grandfather Frost" and his granddaughter, "Snegurochka" - "The Snowmaiden", to New Year's Day. Many current Russian Christmas customs, including their Christmas tree, or "yolka" (spruce, or sometimes pine), were brought by Peter the Great, after his western travels in the late XVIIth century.

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. After the procession completes its circle around the church, the congregation re-enters and they sing several carols and hymns before going home for a late Christmas Eve dinner.

 

 

 

St. Valentine's Day

 

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine. The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni.

The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were expounded briefly in Legenda Aurea. According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.

Since Legenda Aurea still provided no connections with sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men. When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail.

St. Valentine's day in Russia is welcomed with heart shaped balloons flying high, teddies, roses, chocolates, candies, valentine cards, gift basket and romantic songs, poems and love letters.

Saint Valentine today has transcended the physical and cultural boundaries. All around the globe, the Valentine’s Day is celebrated with tremendous joy and vigor.

Though formally in Orthodox Russia Catholic St. Valentine’s Day celebration does not hold much importance and is still considered as a foreign festival, the influence of media on the Valentine's Day has not left the Soviet Union untouched. The youngsters long for the day to arrive and enjoy the holiday splendidly.

In Russian schools and universities the Valentine's Day is celebrated in the charming way in which the students put heir love letters anonymously in boxes.

The commercialization of the Valentine's Day in Russia has seen a great altitude in the past decade. Gift shops painted with festive colors of Valentine's Day long before the arrival of the real Valentine's event is a common practice. Russian teenagers being citizens of a developed country prefer enjoying the day with new technology and new ideas, such as photo story albums, musical CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, i-pods, webcams, cameras, e-cards and gifts.

 

 

 

Homeland Defender’s Day

 

February 23 is celebrated all over Russia as the Homeland Defender’s Day. Now a public holiday, it was first established in 1922 as the Red Army Day. February 22, 1922 saw a parade of the Moscow Garrison on the Red Square, as well as a grand sitting of Mossovet (Moscow City Council) together with representatives of military units of the Moscow Garrison.

Since 1923, following the order of the Revolutionary War Council the day came to be annually celebrated as the Red Army Day.

Since 1949 till 1993 it was named the Day of the Soviet Army and the Navy. Nowadays, however, it has gained a more general sense of the “Man’s Day”, as a just match for the Women’s Day following it on the calendar. Daddies, granddaddies, brothers, boyfriends, husbands and sons (i.e. all possible defenders) and, certainly, those who have served or are serving in the army, get their share of greetings and presents on this remarkable day.

In 2002 the State Duma of Russian Federation made February 23 an official day-off.

 

 

 

Women’s Day

 

In today’s Russia International Women’s Day has nothing to do with the feminist movement for protection of women’s political rights. On this day women enjoy being taken care of by their men and children. 8 of March is a kind of a combination of St. Valentine’s and Mother’s Day. It is a wonderful day of womanhood, love, flowers and indulgence. Being a National Holiday in Russia International Women’s Day is free from work.

Women’s Day was celebrated already in ancient Rome. Matrons (free married women) got presents or other nice treats from their husbands. Even female slaves received gifts and were granted a couple of work-free hours. Wearing festive gowns and flowers in their hair, women went to temples of Vesta, the Roman Goddess of the hearth and home.

Centuries later women started to fight for their rights. On 8 of March, 1857 female garment workers marched through New York City protesting against low wages and poor working conditions. At the Second International Conference of Socialist Women held in 1910 in Copenhagen, the German feminist Clara Zetkin suggested to dedicate 8 of March to women’s fight for equal rights.

Russia started celebrating International Women’s Day in 1913. As after the October Revolution in 1917 Bolshevists guaranteed equal rights for everyone, women didn’t have to fight for their rights any more. So 8 of March turned into one of the most beautiful holidays that welcomes springtime with lots of flowers and loving compliments.

The most popular presents are flowers, especially mimosas, daffodils and tulips. 8 of March is celebrated everywhere: in offices, schools, families and, of course, in private. Students and businessmen prepare nice surprises for their classmates and colleagues. Children paint something or do handicrafts as gifts for their mothers and grannies. Men come home with flowers for their wives and candies for their daughters.

 

 

 

Maslenitsa

 

Maslenitsa is an ancient Russian holiday.

This holiday is not of Christian origin. It was born in pagan times and was celebrated in honour of the Volosa God. Before it had been named not Maslenitsa, but Myasopusta.

Many cultures have grand celebrations to mark the end of winter, beginning of spring and the onset of the Lenten season. In Russia, this celebration is called Maslenitsa and runs the entire week prior to Russian Orthodox Lent, the season which precedes Paskha (Easter).
During Maslensitsa, the Orthodox abstains from meat. All meat, fish, poultry, eggs, products containing animal fat and dairy products are prohibited during Lent. Since Lent is a penitential season in the Church, parties and celebrations are also banned.

Essential to Maslenitsa are blini. They are meatless and made of milk and eggs and eaten with sour cream. These are foods which are coincidentally allowed during Cheese Week on the Church calendar. Maslenitsa, like many Christian holidays, has pagan roots; in this case, the celebration of the sun. Blini are round and golden, like the sun.

Christianity officially came to Russia in 988. Paganism pre-existed Christianity as early as the second century AD. Maslenitsa is an abbreviated form of Russian for butter week and was first recorded as such in the 500s AD. The Church knew that it could not completely do away with the pagan holidays and would typically align Christian observances with them. Such is the case with Maslenitsa.

Maslenitsa was and is characterized by more than just the eating of mass quantities of blini. Each of the days of the celebration feature such things as masquerade parties, visiting friends, sleigh rides and any form of merriment. Often, specific activities were assigned to the days such as a day to visit one's grandparents.

On the Friday of Maslenitsa, a brightly dressed straw puppet of Lady Maslenitsa would accompany the merry makers as a symbol of the hope of agricultural prosperity to come. Since Maslenitsa leads into Lent, Lady Maslenitsa was burned in a bonfire.

 

 

 

Labor Day

 

The 1st of May in Russia is traditionally the Labor Day/ May Day holiday. The Labor Day emerged as a public holiday in the Soviet era. It retained its status even after the collapse of the communist regime, but lost much of its ideological meaning, of course.

In Soviet times this day was celebrated very grandly throughout the whole country. Demonstrations were held in every city of the Soviet Union starting from Moscow to even the smallest towns. Everyone wanted to be a part of the big celebration. The streets were decorated with red flags and balloons.

Overtime, the general public has lost interest in May 1 rallies and parades. Today this holiday is mostly just a good opportunity to go outside, celebrate the onset of spring, and simply to meet friends or even take a short vacation, because the next holiday occurs in the next few days, and sometimes it is possible to combine two holidays into one vacation.

 

 

 

Sabantui

 

According to some investigations, this holiday has a millennial history.

Sabantui used to be celebrated in honour of spring fieldwork beginning (in late April), but now it’s celebrated in honour of the work end (in June).

The origins of Sabantui celebration go to the antiquity and are linked with agrarian cult. Its name gives evidence to it: saban means “spring”, or “plow”, and tui – “holiday”. Thus, the word ‘sabantui’ means a holiday in honour of sowing of spring crops.

The original aim of the rite might lie in coaxing of fertility ghosts in order to contribute to good harvest in the following year.

Because of changes in the household magic rites lost their meaning, but many of them existed as folk entertainments and holidays. The same happened with Sabantui.

In XIX century Sabantui was just a folk jolly holiday, which adumbrated the beginning of very difficult, laborious agricultural work.

Old rituals, telling about Sabantui’s original link with religious beliefs persisted only in several places.

Investigations of latest years show that Sabantui consisted of alternating ceremonies, performed in early spring – from first snowbreak till the beginning of sowing.

Chuvash Akatui, Bashkir Khabantui and Udmurt Gerber are similar to Sabantui.

 

 

 

Izhevsk City Day

 

Izhevsk appeared on the Russian map as a settlement attached to the Izhevskii factory more than two centuries ago. But its swift development resulted in the situation when the settlement Izhevo outnumbered some near-by provincial cities (such as Perm, Novgorod, Ufa) at the beginning of the last century.

The peculiarity of Izhevsk also was that it has actually been a large industrial centre of the neighbouring territory for many years even not having the official status of a city. And it had some indications of a capital city as well: there were 2 secondary schools, a theatre, a library, a printing-house, ”The school for chorus singing and orchestral music”, a telegraph, an electric power station and a cinema in the city.

The revolutionary events of the beginning of the last century changed local political life abruptly.

On the 21st of February, 1918, in the former hall of the Officer’s meeting, the factory was transformed to the city by the decision of Izhevsk’s Soviet of Workers’, soldier and peasant deputies.

In November, 1920 the native settlement of local place received its autonomy which was later transformed to the Udmurt Republic. And in less than a year the Presidium of Central Committee of USSR decreed that Izhevsk became the centre of the Udmurt Republic on the 10th of June, 1921. This is the date which is now supposed to be an official birthday of Izhevsk.

The Udmurt Republic’s capital has already celebrated this day as a main townspeople’s holiday for 15 years (since 1988). This holiday gathers thousands of Izhevsk residents at the Central Square.

Like many other cities, after the establishment of the State holiday - the Day of Russia - Izhevsk united two holidays. Since that time The Day of the City of Izhevsk is celebrated on the 12th of June every year.

 

 

 

Russia Day

 

Russia Day is a holiday of national unity celebrated in Russia on June, 12th. On this day, in 1990, Russian parliament formally declared its sovereignty.

The holiday changed its name twice. Initially, it was named as the Independence Day, then in 1994 was renamed to the Day of the adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation and finally on 1^st of February, 2002 was officially renamed to Russia Day. While the holiday has been officially recognized since 1991 when it was established by Boris Yeltsin, 2003 was the first year that it was celebrated in a major way, when promoted by Vladimir Putin.

The sense of the holiday, which should not carry only political coloring, is much wider: idea of Fatherland independence; patriotism, during all centuries peculiar to citizens of Russia; connection of the native land past and future; a unification of its citizens of different nationalities; feeling of national advantage of Russians; idea of the Russian statehood and originality.

 

 

 

Day of Accord and Reconciliation

 

One of the most important holidays during the Soviet Era was the Revolution Day. It was a time to honor and remember those who instigated the October Revolution of 1917, fought and died as a result of oppression and rebellion. On the new calendar, the date of this celebration was November 7.

On October 24, 1917 (old calendar), Lenin ordered the Smolny Institute, where the Red Guard was based, to begin the October Revolution. Battleship Aurora came up the Neva River, firing blanks at the Hermitage, in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). Troops from the Red Army seized the Winter Palace and Bolsheviks began their control of the new Soviet state. The Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, changed the term Bolshevik to Communist. After his death, in 1924, Petrograd was renamed Leningrad.

In 1996, then President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree changing the focus of the November 7 holiday. In his opinion, Revolution Day was too negative as it focused on the countless victims of revolution. He, also, believed that the holiday split Russian society rather than unifying it. Wanting to promote the ideal that the Russian people have a common past and future, Yeltsin changed the name of the holiday to Day of Accord and Reconciliation. Then the Duma abolished November 7 (formerly Revolution Day) from the national calendar, but they felt a holiday was needed in November so that people would not have to go from June to January without one. They transferred the new holiday on November 4.