What holidays are the most popular in russia

What holidays are the most popular in russia

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In Russia we celebrate many holidays. The most popular are New Year, Easter, Christmas, Women’s day, the day of the defender of fatherland and so on. My favourite holiday is New Year, because since I was little it has been related to some kind of magic for me. I love to make a wish in the last seconds of the old year, and I’m sure that those wishes are coming true! I usually celebrate it with my family; we cook special holiday food, decorate a Christmas tree and make presents for each other.

Most popular holidays

Most popular holidays by version of our website visitors.

National unity day — Russian state holiday. Notes November 4, since 2005. Last holiday (non-working) day of the year in Russia.

average score — 3.4
total votes — 465

average score — 3.6
total votes — 335

Important for Russia day we celebrate on December 12. It is connected with the most important state document – by the Constitution.

average score — 3.2
total votes — 317

The day of Peter and Fevronia — folk-Orthodox holiday. Celebrated on June 25 (July 8). In Russia on March 26, 2008 in the Council of the Federation at the meeting of the Committee on social policy was unanimously approved an initiative on the establishment of a new festival — it ’Day of family, love and fidelity.

average score — 3.8
total votes — 261

Order of the Minister of defence of the Russian Federation made November 5 professional holiday of military intelligence.

average score — 3.6
total votes — 272

Defender of the Fatherland day — a holiday celebrated on February 23 in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Transnistria. Non-working public holiday.

average score — 3.8
total votes — 204

The anniversary of the great October socialist revolution — a public holiday in the USSR. It was noted on the day of the achievements of the October revolution annually November 7 (October 25 «old style»).

average score — 3.4
total votes — 222

Russia day is celebrated annually since 1992 (day 1991) on the day of adoption of the Declaration on state sovereignty of the RSFSR — June 12. Since 2002 is the current name.

average score — 4
total votes — 190

In each state, this holiday is celebrated in different ways. Most of these animals are celebrated in Europe, especially in England.

average score — 4.3
total votes — 168

February 14 is celebrated a wonderful holiday that belongs to all lovers on the planet – Valentine’s day. In Russia it has become known recently, but has already become one of the most popular. Everyone who loves and love, looking forward to this day to admit their feelings.

average score — 3.8
total votes — 172

During the time of Peter I in Russia have begun to celebrate the marine corps. It was after 17 November 1705, when the regiment marine soldiers won the battle with the Swedes.

average score — 3.8
total votes — 152

Easter holiday (Resurrection) ancient Christian holiday, main religious holiday of Christians. This holiday is connected with Jesus Christ’s revival.

average score — 3.9
total votes — 146

International Earth day is celebrated on April 22. It is a celebration of the pure Land, Water and Air.

average score — 4
total votes — 144

International women’s day — a holiday celebrated annually on March 8 in some countries as «women’s day. Annually celebrated the UN international day of struggle for women’s rights and international peace. Historically appeared as a day of solidarity of women in the struggle for equal rights and emancipation.

average score — 3.9
total votes — 146

«Day of the motorist” — national professional holiday of workers of motor transport, which is celebrated in the Russian Federation annually on the last Sunday of October.

average score — 3.9
total votes — 141

Memorial day citizens of the Soviet Union, playing call of duty abroad — official commemorative date in the Russian Federation designed to honor the memory of soldiers-internationalists who international duty outside the borders of their homeland. Celebrated annually on February 15.

average score — 3.8
total votes — 143

International day of older persons international day for the elderly) (in the other official UN languages: eng. International Day of Older Persons, use Día Internacional de las Personas de Edad, FR. Journée internationale pour les personnes âgées ) — is celebrated on 1 October since 1991.

average score — 3.8
total votes — 144

The Midsummer festival is celebrated on the 7th of July.

average score — 3.9
total votes — 138

Cosmonautics day — a memorable date, celebrated on April 12, established to commemorate the first manned flight into space.

average score — 4.3
total votes — 117

5 December all over the world celebrate the day of volunteers. On this day we should thank all those people who donated work and help people.

average score — 3.9
total votes — 127

Day of missile forces and artillery — memorial day, celebrated in Russia on November 19.

average score — 3.9
total votes — 124

World animal day is celebrated on 4 October.

average score — 4.2
total votes — 112

Knowledge day is celebrated on 1 September as a national holiday in the USSR and the Russian Federation since 1984, on the basis of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 01.10.80 No. 3018-X «On holidays and memorial days», as amended by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 01.11.88 No. 9724-XI ’On amendments to the law of the USSR on holidays and memorial days. Is also an official holiday in some other post-Soviet States.

average score — 3.1
total votes — 154

Day of the baptism of Russia — a memorable date, legally established in the Russian Federation on 1 June 2010 in memory of the baptism of Rus (988). Celebrated on July 28 in the Gregorian calendar — as the day that corresponds in the XXI century the memory of Prince Vladimir of Kiev, the revered Saint Baptizer of Rus. Like all memorable dates in Russia, the day of the baptism of Rus ‘ is not a holiday.

average score — 3.8
total votes — 122

Neptune day is celebrated on the last Sunday of July.

average score — 3.9
total votes — 120

For 17 years, is the international day of vegan (WorldVeganDay) and only 1 November 1994, he became the world. And at the same time as the Vegan society, has already celebrated the diamond jubilee.

average score — 2.7
total votes — 160

Most accountants of Russia celebrate their professional holiday on November 21, although officially approved holiday.

average score — 2.8
total votes — 155

May day (labor Day, spring Day, the Holiday of spring and labor, international workers ‘ Day) is celebrated in many countries on the first of may or the first Monday in may.

average score — 3.2
total votes — 137

Day strategic Missile troops — memorial day, celebrated in the Russian Federation annually, on December 17.

average score — 3.3
total votes — 127

Day the employee of the internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (November 10) (prior to 1991 — the Day of the Soviet militia, until 2011 — the Day of Russian police).

Меню посетителя

Holidays in Russia are an important part of culture which helps to understand the Russians much better.

Russian Orthodox Christmas, January 7, is celebrated all over the country. After the fall of the communist rule, this sacred Christian holiday was brought back to life and has been observed ever since. The religious nature of the holiday is preserved in Russia. There are numerous church services and praising Jesus on this holiday. People may also exchange presents, but it is not much of a tradition. This holiday gives people another day off and a chance to think once again about Christ, God, the role of religion in their lives.

January 14 is another Russian New Year! Russians do love holidays! This strange holiday goes back to the beginning of the 20th century. It actually has to do with the fact that Russia is mostly Orthodox, not Catholic, and with the lenght of the solar year. I oversimplified the explanation below, and I apologize for that, but it was done only to save your time and energy. If you want exact scientific facts, you may refer to Wikipedia and type «Gregorian calendar». It was Pope Gregory XIII who decreed the new Gregorian calendar on 24 February 1582.In the new calendar, the length of the solar calendar was calculated more precisely. The Julian calendar which had been in use before did not account for that. As a result, the calendar had been slowly drifting backwards (if we still used this calendar, in 20-30 thousand years winter would begin in June in the northern hemisphere). In 1582, when it was decided to switch to the Gregorian calendar, the drift was already accounted for 10 days. Thus, people had to adjust their calendars the whole 10 days ahead. It was just like we adjust our click twice a year. October 4, 1582, the last day of the Julian calendar was followed by October 15, 1582, the first day of the Gregorian calendar. However, quite a few countries decided to continue using the old calendar. They were mainly non-Catholic countries. The last European country adopted the new Catholic invention only in 1923, and before that it was often necessary to indicate two dates, both in Julian and Gregorian calendars, to mention some events correctly. (for example, «10/21 February 1751/52»). The new Gregorian calendar had been adopted by most Western countries by the 18th century. Russia was Orthodox, rural and old-fashioned in some ways during that time, so it switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1918. It was not the last country, however. The last one was Greece in 1923. In 1918 the difference between the two calendars was already 13 days, so Russian people had to adjust their calendars 13 days ahead. The result was that January 1st became January 14. Thus, you see that January 14 used to be the New Year and is still being celebrated as the «Old Style New Year». Western countries have already forgotten the time when both the new style and old style were used concurrently, but for the Russians it happened not so long ago, and «Old Style New Year» is the echo of the Julian calendar. This is not an official holiday, and even not all people celebrate it. However, for most people it is a nice opportunity to meet friends and have a good time. The celebration is much quieter and smaller than that of the real New Year and the importance of the holiday is decreasing as years go by, unfortunately.

Saint Valentine’s Day, February 14. Nowadays this holiday is popular not only in America, but also in Russia. Of course it is not an official holiday. Just as in the other parts of the world this romantic holiday gives us a chance to say «I love you» to our beloved. Russians send valentines to their sweethearts, exchange small romantiс gifts, flowers. One of the nicest traditions is to use heart-shaped things on this day.

FatherLand Defender’s Day takes place on February 23. This holiday came to us from the Soviet times. It has been renamed several times. At first it was known as The Red Army Day, because the Red Army was created on February, 23rd, 1918. Later on it transformed into the Soviet Army Day. All Soviet men were liable to military service, so it was only logical to congratulate all men on this holiday and not only the military men. After the Soviet time had ended, the holiday was renamed into «FatherLand Defender’s Day» and just the same, celebrates all men regardless of age or occupation.

The most important holiday for Russian women is March 8, the official Women’s Day. It is anticipated for all women and even small girls. This is the day when men pay all their attention to their beloved, their mothers, sisters, daughters. Women get flowers, boxes of chocolates, gifts, and a lot of kind and tender words from men around them. Some Russian men even do all the housework for their beloved women. It is a sign of deep love and appreciation. They cook, clean, bring breakfast while their women are still in bed and use every opportunity to say something nice to their women. It is really important because in everyday life Russian women do not get much attention from their husbands. March 8 is the day of spring, the day of women and FOR women. It is a unique chance for them to feel loved, admired, and cared for. In everyday life Russian women have too much work to think about their being women after all, but not on March 8. Forgetting to give a present or at least flowers on that day spells doom on a relationship. March 8 is an official holiday, and everyone gets a day off.

Shrovetide, or Maslenitsa, takes place in early March. This wonderful holiday which was also banned by communists is now brought back to life. The history of the holiday goes back to ancient times. Maslenitsa is the way Russian people celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The traditional food for
Maslenitsa is pancakes. Pancakes symbolize the sun, and the sun symbolizes the coming spring. A lot of festivals, fairs and carnivals are carried out throughout the holiday week. However, this is an unofficial holiday and people do not get a day of, unfortunately.

The main religious holiday for Russian people is Orthodox Easter. Easter is celebrated in late March or early April. The date of Easter varies from year to year, and moreover, Russian Orthodox Easter is usually celebrated AFTER American Catholic one. To be on the safe side, it is better to check the exact Easter date. You can do it by referring to the article below. There you will find Easter dates for the next 5 years. So why does Russian Easter go after American one? The question is very difficult, and the answer would be really complicated to read. I’ll just say that it is connected with It’s Julian vs. Gregorian calendar, as well as with different interpretation of certain religious dates by Catholic and Orthodox Churches. There are some other things, but I do not think they all should be mentioned here. Easter is very important for Russians. A lot of traditional celebration goes on in churches, plenty of people attend the services. Some people are very religious, and this holiday is full of sacred meaning to them. Others pay tribute to their Orthodox upbringing, and dye eggs and cook special food due to the tradition. Easter is not an official holiday, however. It is always celebrated on Sunday, but people do not have a day-off on some other day of the week, unfortunately.

Dates of Easter Sunday 2007-2012:

April 1 is Russian Day of Laughter. This is just the same as American April Fool’s Day. They also play tricks on each other in Russia! Jokes are usually funnyu and harmless. No dirty ones. Sadly, clowns do not get a day off.

Victory Day, May 9. This hoiday can be called sacred for the Russian people. Russians celebrate the victory in World War II. This was the heavist time for Russia, the country lost more than 20 million people in the war against fascism. A lot of Russian people do not like Russia, but on May, 9 they all unite under one great feeling of patriotism. Parades and celebrations, fire works and concerts devoted to the veterans take place in every part of the country. No one is forgotten, and people think about those who gave their lives for country. Naturally, Russians have a day off.

Public Holidays in Russia

What are the public holidays in Russia?

Despite the fact that to foreigners Russians seem to celebrate something all the time, there are only eight official holidays in the country. Of course there are many days in which it is considered appropriate to celebrate, such as the day of printing, or the day of geologists, the day of chemists, the library day, the day of the frontier guard, the day of Slavic literature and culture; there is even a fisherman’s day and many more dates to drink for someone’s respectable profession or something else completely unrelated. Basically Russian people can celebrate something almost every day. Sometimes there is a good reason for a big party, but no reason is needed to celebrate life by having a drink with a few friends.

New Year and Christmas

The most beloved holiday for all Russians is New Year’s Day. There are a few reasons for this. First, this holiday connects everyone with their childhood, in particular 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 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 by going to the sauna or typical Russian banya. Others love to stay at home with their relatives and friends. New Years day is considered to be a holiday, when people spend time with their family. Most Russians get fir 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.

Anyway, the main idea of this holiday is to join your family and to think about good things: love, friendship, kids etc. Another very important thing here is food. Russians like to eat tasty food and make lots of dishes for holiday meals. The most traditional are duck baked with apples, galantine, red caviar, pickled vegetables such as mushrooms, cucumbers, sauerkraut, plus salads like «Stolichny» (close to Olivier) and of course all this with a glass of champagne and heavier drinks as well. Russians love to watch TV on New Year’s Eve. They start usually with some comedy programs or romantic movies. «The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy your Bath!» is shown a few times during the evening! Also the absolute majority of people like to watch the traditional President’s speech a few minutes before 12 o’clock.

After a few hours of celebrating, some people like to go outside for a walk and light off fireworks. Currently, New Years fireworks are very popular since they are very easy to buy and stunning as well.
Since there is a lot of snow during the winter months, it is nice to have fun outside – maybe try out a sleigh – you’ll never forget this! Also there is the tradition of exchanging presents, especially with children. As in most foreign countries some fat guy in a red coat brings impressively-decorated gifts, but in Russia this character is named Ded Moroz (Father Frost) not to be confused with Santa Claus. He is usually dressed in a long red fur coat, although sometimes it could be blue or silver. He also has a girl, probably his granddaughter, who travels around with him named Snegurochka. Snegurochka is always very pretty, has long blond hair, wears a nice blue coat and likes to play with kids.

Defender of the Fatherland Day

International Women’s Day

The 8th of March is known as International Women’s Day. It seems as though only in Russia is this holiday celebrated so widely! I’ve never seen any big celebration in Europe or the United States on this day. Although historically this day manifested women’s solidarity and proclaimed fight for equal rights and emancipation, nowadays it appears to be all about femininity, flowers and gifts. Thsi is the day when all men in Russia suddenly realize how great all those women around them are and get flowers and presents for their ladies, daughters, female colleagues and actually any woman they know. Women all look gorgeous and are dressed very well on this day, because they are surrounded with flowers and that special man’s attention! When it comes to celebrating here, any way is a good way. A home-cooked dinner, a romantic restaurant, a bar with good friends, a night club, or a walk in the park on a nice day – anything that you feel like doing is fitting and some wine is, of course, consumed to provide for a relaxing mood!

Spring and Labor Day

The 1st of May in Russia is traditionally the Spring and Labor Day holiday. In Soviet times this day was celebrated very grandly throughout the whole country. Demonstrations were held in every city of the Soviet Union, 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. 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.

Victory Day

The 9th of May is known as Victory Day. The day of the victory in World War II is an extremely solemn holiday with a salute (firework display) at the end of the day. Even though most of the veterans of WWII are not alive nowadays, there are parades in the centers of each city all over the country, and in the evening there is a traditional salute. This holiday is of special importance to the youth as they learn about the terrible war from the stories fo their grandparents and the importance of peace all over the world. Many people have a meal, gather with family and friends, recall the heroes of the wars and in the evening go downtown to see the salute. Recent years newly established tradition of marches of ‘Immortal Regiment’ have an outstanding number of participants. This is when people parade with portraits of their relatives who fought in World War II. This tradition unites peoples of all ages in many cities and towns of Russia.

Russia Day

Russia Day is celebrated on the 12th of June. This holiday has not been here for very long, in fact it only appeared in 1992. This day underlines the events which happened when the Soviet Union collapsed and the first president of the Russian Federation was elected. To be honest people in Russia do not celebrate this holiday too much, they just appreciate an extra free day. This is a great time for visiting St. Petersburg as a tourist to see the festivities and the famous White Nights.

Unity Day

The 4th of November is known as the Day of People’s Unity or simply Unity Day. This holiday is the newest one, established only in 2005. It commemorates uprising which expelled Polish–Lithuanian occupation from Moscow in 1612, when all the classes of Russian society united to preserve Russia’s independence. This holiday is considered by many as an attempt to replace the celebration of the October Revolution that was held on November, 7 and is abolished in modern Russia. As the holiday is new, t raditions to celebrate it are yet to be set.

What holidays are the most popular in russia

You are going to give a talk about public holidays in Russia. You will have to start in 1.5 minutes and will speak for not more than 2 minutes.

Remember to say:

• what public holidays are celebrated in Russia;

• what your favourite public holiday is, and why you like it;

• how your favourite public holiday is celebrated in your city, town or village.

You have to talk continuously.

I would like to start with the idea that Russia is famous for its glorious holidays all over the world. Many tourists come to Russia to participate in celebrating those great events. We celebrate such public holidays as New Year, Victory Day, Easter. There are many other holidays but those are the most popular. I guess that we, Russians, like to celebrate. My favourite public holiday is New Year. I like it because all family celebrates that holiday together at home. New Year is celebrated in the night of the thirty first of December. After the speech of the President of the Russian Federation most of the families spend night walking in the streets. Also some families like mine prefer sitting at home. In summary, I should say that public holidays make me a happy person. I get a chance to meet my old relatives and friends.

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