Question 1

When is Orthodox Christmas Day celebrated in Russia?

Accepted Answer

Orthodox Christmas Day (7 January) is a national public holiday in Russia, marking the birth of Jesus Christ according to the Julian calendar used by the Russian Orthodox Church — thirteen days later than the Gregorian calendar date of 25 December. The date's public holiday status was restored after the Soviet period, and it is observed primarily as a religious occasion, with solemn liturgies held in Orthodox churches across Russia, including a Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow. Because the extended New Year holiday runs through 6 January, Orthodox Christmas falls naturally at the tail end of Russia's longest holiday season.   The Christmas Eve service (Rozhdestvenskaya sluzhba) on the night of 6–7 January is the most important Orthodox liturgy of the season, with midnight services broadcast from major cathedrals across Russian state television.  Traditional Orthodox Christmas customs include a twelve-dish meatless supper (sochevnik) on Christmas Eve and the appearance of stars in the sky as the signal to begin the festive meal.  ---

Question 2

Is Old New Year a public holiday in Russia?

Accepted Answer

Old New Year (13–14 January) is a popular informal observance in Russia marking the New Year according to the Julian calendar — the calendar in use in Russia before the Gregorian reform adopted by the Soviet government in 1918. It carries no public holiday status but is widely celebrated with parties, gatherings, and television retrospectives, treated as a second opportunity to ring in the new year. The Old New Year is particularly beloved as a nostalgic occasion, with many Russians viewing it as a chance to celebrate again in a more relaxed atmosphere after the intensity of 1 January.  ---

Question 3

What is the significance of Tatiana Day / Students' Day in Russia?

Accepted Answer

Tatiana Day / Students' Day (25 January) is a popular cultural observance in Russia honouring both Saint Tatiana — patron of Moscow State University — and Russian students more broadly. Moscow State University was founded on 25 January 1755, and since then the date has been associated with student life, academic tradition, and youthful celebration. It is not a public holiday, but universities and student unions across Russia typically mark the occasion with events, concerts, and the longstanding custom of students drinking from the Moskva River (symbolically, if not literally).  ---

Question 4

Why is Valentine's Day observed in Russia?

Accepted Answer

Valentine's Day (14 February) is a commercial and romantic observance that arrived in Russia in the post-Soviet period and is now widely marked among younger generations, though it carries no public holiday status and remains less culturally embedded than in Western Europe. Florists, restaurants, and gift shops see an uptick in business, and heart-shaped decorations appear in shopping centres. Some Russian cultural commentators and nationalist voices have periodically criticised the holiday as a foreign import, though such opposition has had little effect on its commercial popularity.  ---

Question 5

When is Maslenitsa Festival Begins celebrated in Russia?

Accepted Answer

Maslenitsa Festival Begins marks the start of the ancient Slavic spring festival also known as Butter Week or Pancake Week, observed in the week immediately before Orthodox Lent begins. Maslenitsa is one of the most beloved folk observances in Russia, combining pre-Christian spring rites with later Orthodox tradition — it is the last week to eat meat-free dairy foods before the Lenten fast, making blini (thin pancakes) the defining food of the entire week. Each day of Maslenitsa week traditionally has its own name and associated activities, culminating on Sunday with Proshchyony Voskresenye (Forgiveness Sunday), when people ask forgiveness from those they have wronged.   Blini — thin pancakes made with butter, eggs, and milk, served with sour cream (smetana), caviar, smoked salmon, honey, or jam — are eaten in large quantities throughout Maslenitsa week and symbolise the sun and the coming of spring.  The burning of a straw effigy of Lady Maslenitsa (Chuchelo) at the end of the week is a widely observed folk tradition marking the symbolic farewell to winter and the welcome of spring.  ---

Question 6

Is Defender of the Fatherland Day a public holiday in Russia?

Accepted Answer

Defender of the Fatherland Day (Den' zashchitnika Otechestva, 23 February) is a national public holiday in Russia honouring the country's military and all men who have served or are serving in the armed forces. Originally established in the Soviet era as Red Army Day to commemorate the founding of the Red Army in 1918, it has evolved into a broadly observed occasion for celebrating masculinity and male service, with women giving men — including non-military colleagues, fathers, and husbands — cards, small gifts, and flowers. It is effectively Russia's counterpart to International Women's Day, which follows two weeks later.   Corporate gift-giving to male colleagues is standard practice in Russian workplaces on 23 February, with companies typically organising small celebrations and presenting men with practical gifts such as shaving sets, tools, or food hampers.  Military parades, wreath-laying at war memorials, and firearms salutes take place in cities across Russia on 23 February, with the central Moscow commemoration held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.  ---

Question 7

What is the significance of International Women's Day in Russia?

Accepted Answer

International Women's Day (8 March) is a national public holiday in Russia and one of the most widely and warmly celebrated holidays in the country. Men give women — wives, mothers, daughters, colleagues, and friends — flowers (roses and mimosa are traditional), chocolates, and small gifts, and restaurants are typically booked out weeks in advance. The holiday has its roots in the international socialist movement but has long since shed any purely political character in Russian society, functioning instead as a broad celebration of women.   Mimosa bouquets (mimoza) are the iconic flower of 8 March in Russia — a tradition originating in the Soviet period when mimosa was one of the few flowers available in winter and became inseparably associated with the holiday.  Russian workplaces hold pre-holiday celebrations on the last working day before 8 March, with male colleagues typically presenting female coworkers with flowers and small gifts in office gatherings.  ---

Question 8

Why is April Fool's Day observed in Russia?

Accepted Answer

April Fool's Day (1 April), known in Russian as Den' smekha (Day of Laughter), is a lighthearted cultural observance in Russia with no public holiday status. Pranks, jokes, and humorous fake news stories in the media are a standard feature of 1 April, and Russian television channels have a long tradition of broadcasting elaborate hoaxes and comedy programming on this date. The occasion is widely enjoyed but has no particular religious or historical significance in the Russian context.  ---

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