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RUSSIAN HOLIDAYS
The most important Russian holiday is New Year’s Day – January 1st.
During the Soviet era, people were not allowed to celebrate Christmas,
so New Year’s became the most important holiday. New Year’s is a public
holiday while Christmas is more of a private family holiday. Happy New
Year in Russian is ‘Snovum Godom.’
Russian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. This is the
equivalent day to December 25 in the old Russian calendar.Russians also
celebrate ‘Catholic Christmas’ on December 25th and the old Russian New
Year’s Day of January 14th in the Julian calendar, which they used
until 1918.
Russians celebrate more holidays than Hallmark Cards. It is just one more reason to pull the cork out of the vodka bottle.
The most important holiday as far as Russian women are concerned is
“International Women’s Day.” This is March 8. This holiday, that
Americans have never heard of, is like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day,
and her birthday all rolled into one. On this day, the men do all the
household chores. They treat the woman of the house as Queen for a Day.
They buy her a nice gift and maybe flowers.
One word of advice: Remember this day as you would your anniversary,
her birthday, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day. It is that important
to a Russian woman.
One big difference between Russia and America is that Russians don’t
celebrate Thanksgiving Day, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day. They don’t
celebrate any of the ethnic holidays that America has like St.
Patrick’s Day, Columbus Day, or Martin Luther King Day, although I’m
sure they could get behind the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day one hundred
percent.
Each former Soviet Republic has its own independence day that is
celebrated like Independence Day in America, although not quite to the
same degree it is celebrated in America.February 23 is officially
Soldier’s Day and is kind of like Father’s Day where men are honored.
May 9 is Victory Day, where the Russians celebrate victory in the great
Patriotic War -- what we call World War II. Every man who is a veteran
is treated like a general on this day. There is much drinking and
celebrating to honor the conquering war heroes.
November 7 is the Soviet holiday that commemorates the October
Revolution (which actually took place in November), when the Bolsheviks
took power from the Czar. The reason it is called the October
revolution is because it was in the month of October in the old Russian
calendar.
Remember the parades in Red Square. During this holiday, the Soviet
leaders wore those big Russian fur hats while standing above Lenin’s
tomb.This holiday is still celebrated by some, although not nearly as
much as when the Soviets were in power.
Pascha is the Russian Orthodox equivalent to Catholic Easter. Easter is
the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox
(March 21).Pascha is the first Sunday following the first full moon
after the Spring Equinox and Jewish Passover.
This was the date that the Christian Church originally celebrated
Easter.Passover is the Jewish religious celebration when the Lord
passed over the houses of the Israelites during the plagues that Moses
visited upon the Egyptians for holding the Israelites captive. The last
plague, or curse, was that the first-born sons of all the land would
perish.
The Israelites were to sacrifice a lamb to God and put the blood of the
lamb over their doorstep. By doing so, they would be Passed Over by the
plague, and their first-born would be spared.
To Christians, Jesus represented the Lamb of God. He was the Passover
lamb. He was the Lamb who was sacrificed to save the souls of all
people, not just the first-born sons of the Israelites.
Jesus came to Jerusalem during Passover and was crucified right after
Passover.The Orthodox celebrate Pascha (The Passion) after Passover for
this reason.
by John Kunkle
John has been married to a Russian women for over five years. He has travelled the path from finding her, to traveling to Russia, to bring his wife to America, and adjusting to married life. He will show you step by step how to do this yourself.
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