Other holidays

Professional holidays

Religious holidays

Apart from the official holidays, many people in Russia, especially after the fall of the USSR where any religious activities were restricted, celebrate religious holidays. The origin of many holidays is not always Christian or Orthodox. Russians can have holidays which are Christian and pagan at the same time. Through years, Christianity has been converting ceremonies of paganism into Christian ceremonies and traditions, but many religious holidays contain the elements of paganism and are perceived as merry entertainment. Each Russian holiday has its own peculiar ceremonies and traditions. Traditional Russian celebrations of Kolyadki, Maslenitsa (Shrovetide/ Pancake week), Easter, Red Hill, Ivan Kupala, Troitsa and Spas can be great things for tourists to see.

Professional holidays are widely celebrated among the members of certain professional groups: teachers, doctors, auditors, sales assistants, diplomats, etc. There are really lots of professional holidays in Russia, but they are not public holidays, so the banks, offices and schools are not supposed to close.

Though quite a number of holidays have already been described, we haven’t mentioned all the occasions that Russians celebrate. There are some other holidays which are quite important, though some of them are very unusual, to say the least. Take ‘Old’ New Year, for example, which is celebrated on January 14. After Peter the Great moved the date of New Year celebration in Russia from September to January 1, in 1700, it became an official holiday. But in 1918 by a special decree of the Bolshevik party, Russia adopted a new, European calendar, and had to add two weeks to its chronology. So when the country started celebrating New Year on January 1, in 1919, some people would continue celebrating it according to the old calendar, which was on January 14. Due to this calendar change, now we celebrate Christmas on January 7, not on December 25, as our ancestors used to.

Some people get into celebration of the Old New Year because they can not stop after celebrating New Year and Christmas!

St. Valentine’s Day, which is on February 14, is quite a new, but popular and well-accepted in Russia Catholic holiday. The holiday is celebrated in the same manner as it is celebrated in Catholic countries.

April Fools’ Day is unofficially, but very widely celebrated on April 1. Jokes are heard everywhere on this day. People play tricks on their colleagues, relatives and friends. Even if one fools you, you are not supposed to show any signs of bad temper. Otherwise, people will suspect you of the worst possible sin — the lack of humour.

Apart from this, Russians also celebrate the Children’s Day (June, 1), Day of Knowledge (September, 1), Mothers’ Day (last Sunday in November), Day of Elderly People (October, 5), Students’ Day (January, 25) and some other holidays.

1) What types of holidays are distinguished in Russia?

2) What is an “official” holiday?

3) What are the origins of religious holidays in Russia?

4) What is characteristic for Russian professional holidays?

5) What other holidays are celebrated in Russia?

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27