Christmas, Russian Orthodox - January 7

Russian Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January after the New Year's Day. The difference in the dates of celebrating Orthodox Christmas and Catholic Christmas is that Russian Orthodox church is still using Julian calendar, even if Gregorian calendar was introduce in Russia in 1918. So the day difference between those two calendars is 13 days. (So that means that December 25 means January 7 in Julian calendar). The holiday is connected with the birth of Jesus Christ as it is described in the Holly Bible. On that day, some 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. When Jesus was born, wise men came to worship him. They gave the Child presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Today people give their friends and relatives Christmas presents. One may say that this holiday is a continuation of New Year's Day, but at Christmas Russians feel more religious.

Epiphany - January 19

The holiday is connected with Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. In the Epiphany eve many people go to any water sources (wells or springs) to take water that is consider to be holly after midnight. Some people go to the river or lake to duck in the ice-hole.

Maslenitsa (Pancake week) - a week before the Lent

The early spring in Russia is signified by celebrating traditional folk holiday Maslenitsa (the holiday is equivalent to Mardi Gras). People celebrate it during a week (Pancake week). The Pancake week comes just before Lent. During this period special performances are held. Tourists have a chance to taste Russian pancakes ("bliny"), to take part in traditional national games, and to go sledding. Maslenitsa is the best time to visit Vladimir and Suzdal where great festivities are held.

Easter - right after the Lent

The holiday is celebrated after the Lent. This day people go to the cemetery to commemorate their departed relatives. All families gather together around the festive table. Traditional Easter meals are Easter cake ("Kulich"), "Paskha" (a cake made of cottage cheese with raisins) and of course colored eggs. Traditionally people exchange these eggs with each other saying "Christ risen" - "Indeed risen".

National Holidays

Banks and public officers do not work on holidays. Some shops depending on their owners may work on holidays with reduced hours of operation. The information about working days and hours is usually given on the front door. The main holidays in Vladimir are the following days:

January 1 - The New Year

The New Year is first main holiday of the year. Many celebrate it twice, on January 1 and 14 (which corresponds to January 1 in the Julian calendar used in Russia before 1918). The New Year holiday is very popular, especially with children. On this holiday every house has a fir tree, where presents are placed by Father Frost and the Snow Maiden. People decorate their houses with different ornaments, prepare delicious dishes, and exchange presents and cards. People see the old year out and the new year in sitting around a festive table. They exchange New Year's greetings and good wishes to one another. "Happy New Year" is heard everywhere, and toasts of sparkling champagne are an integral part of this holiday.

February 23 - Soldier's Day

February 23 is Soldier's Day, and until recently was known as Soviet Army Day. Popular viewed as a holiday for all men, it is closely followed by its female counterpart, Women's Day, March 8, when women receive flowers, presents and are toasted by men.

March 8 - International Women's Day

International Women's Day is the day to celebrate wives, mothers, daughters, brides, grannies and sweethearts. Few people remember now this day of women's international solidarity began. It was adopted in 1910 in Copenhagen at the 2nd International Conference of Socialist Women. On Clara Zetkin's proposal a decision was passed to celebrate this day. It was celebrated for the first time in 1911 in several European countries and two years later in Russia. In 1966, March 8 was declared a red-letter day in the Soviet Union and became the day of paying tribute to women. As this day draw's closer, men prepare to give flowers and gifts to women to compensate for their previous lack of concern and tenderness. In 1997 Mother's Day was proclaimed, it is celebrated on the last Thursday of November.

May 1 - Spring and Labor Holiday

Until recently Spring and Labor Day was called International Worker's Solidarity Day. On some years it occurs on or close to Russian Orthodox Easter, so some people celebrate in church while others attend official demonstrations.

May 9 - Victory Day

Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9 to commemorate the millions who fell in World War II. On May 9, flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves and veterans come out into the streets wearing their military orders and medals. Every passing year, there are fewer veterans of the Great Patriotic War, which ended on May 9, 1945. That spring day went down in the history of Russia as Victory Day. The victory was won at great cost. The Soviet people including Russians fought against Germans from the White Sea in the North to the Black Sea in the South. The heroic Soviet people don't only defended their own country, they saved the world. In the battle on the Volga at Stalingrad (today, Vlolgograd) the Soviet Army defeated the German Army. The battle had a decisive effect on the war. During the war, the Soviet people displayed heroism, self-sacrifice on a mass scale. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union has been awarded to 11,500 Soviet citizens.

June 12 - Independence Day

June 12 is Russia's newest holiday, Independence Day, which commemorates the adoption in 1991 of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation.

November 4 - National Unity Day

It is the newest holiday in Russia. On this day in 1612 Moscow was released from Polish intervention by trainband led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitriy Pozharsky.

December 12 - Constitution Day

December 12 celebrates the date when Russian voters in 1993 approved a new constitution to replace the country's communist constitution.