People in Russia have many holidays to celebrate. These holidays are usually different from those celebrated in the States or in Europe. For example, Russians do not celebrate Thanksgiving, Mother’s or Father’s Day, neither do they celebrate any of the ethnic holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day, or Martin Luther King Day.
Nevertheless, some dates are really important for Russians. The most loved Russian holiday is the New Year’s Day – the 1st of January. During the Soviet times, it was strictly prohibited to celebrate Christmas, so the New Year’s had become its substitute. While it is Catholic Christmas in the West that is widely celebrated and considered a big family occasion, in Russia it is the night from Dec 31 to Jan 1 that has the same weigh and meaning. So New Year’s Day is one of the biggest public events of the year in Russia. By the way, Russian Orthodox Christmas (Jan 7) is a small family occasion in comparison to the New Year’s Day.
Another important holiday you should remember is March 8, the “International Women’s Day.” It is very similar to both St. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. On March 8, Russian men congratulate all women they know, even passers-by, and give presents and flowers to the ones they love. In general, women are treated with special respect and admiration on this day. In some families, husbands and wives switch their traditional gender roles, so all chores around the house are run by men. Please, remember this date as though it were your birthday. It will be a pleasant surprise for your Russian bride or wife to get your attention and a nice present from you, the dearest person who grew up in another culture but remembered this peculiar Russian tradition.
May 9 is a really important national holiday of grand scale. This is the Victory Day marking the end of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). Every family in Russia has at least one great grand-parent, who was killed in this war against the Nazi Germany (about 25 million Russian people died in it). The veterans who are still alive are honored on May 9. For Russians, it is a sad date of remembering and mourning.
One of the most important religious holidays is “Paskha”, which is equivalent to Catholic Easter. “Paskha” is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (March 21).
