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In the Soviet Union, public holidays were set at a state level by the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. [1] More than 30 holidays were recognized by the Soviet Union. [2]
| Date | English name | Russian name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Russian: Новый год | Most of the traditions that were originally associated with Christmas in Russia, such as Father Frost and decorated fir-trees, have been moved to New Year's Day since the October Revolution, arguably making New Year's Day the largest celebration in the Soviet Union and modern Russia. |
| February 23 | Soviet Army and Navy Day | Russian: День Советской Армии и Военно-морского флота ("Day of the Soviet Army and Navy") | First celebrated in 1919, Soviet Army and Navy Day, originally known as Red Army Day (Russian: День Красной Армии), marked 17 February 1918, the date during the Russian Civil War when the first mass draft into the Red Army occurred in Petrograd and Moscow. In January 1919, a decision was made to combine it with the celebration of the following day, on which the decree on the establishment of the Red Army was published. In 1919, 17 February fell on a Monday, so a decision was also made to move the combined holiday to the following Sunday, 23 February. That choice of day has been retained ever since. In 1923, the holiday was officially named Day of the Red Army and the Navy. In 1949, it was renamed to Soviet Army and Navy Day (Russian: День Советской армии и Военно-морского флота, romanized: Dyen' Sovyetskoy armii i Voyenno-morskogo flota). [3] Under its current name, Defender of the Fatherland Day (Russian: День защитника отечества), the holiday was decreed a Russian state holiday in 2002 and is observed in several post-Soviet states. [4] |
| 8 March | International Women's Day | Russian: Международный женский день, (Восьмое марта Vosmoe marta) | International Women’s Day was a holiday marking the women's liberation movement, popularly celebrated as a cross between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. It also marks the anniversary of the start of the February Revolution. |
| April 12 | Cosmonautics Day | Russian: День космонавтики ("Day of Cosmonautics") | Cosmonautics Day marked the anniversary of the day Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961. |
| 1 May | International Labor Day (May Day) | Russian: День международной солидарности трудящихся (Первое Мая) ("International Day of Worker's Solidarity (May Day)") | In modern Russia, International Labor Day is called the Celebration of Spring and Labor (Russian: Праздник весны и труда). |
| 9 May | Victory Day | Russian: День Победы | Victory Day marked the anniversary of the 1945 capitulation of Nazi Germany, which ended the Great Patriotic War. |
| 3rd Sunday of June | Medical Worker Day | Russian: День медицинского работника | A professional holiday honoring medical staff, Medical Worker Day was a recognized holiday in the Soviet Union from 1988, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet modified its 1980 decree "About commemorative dates and observances". [1] |
| 7 October | Constitution Day | Russian: День Конституции | Constitution Day of the Soviet Union marked the anniversary of the date that the 1977 Constitution of the Soviet Union went into effect. Between 1936 and 1977, it was celebrated on December 5, after the 1936 Constitution of the Soviet Union. |
| 7 November | October Revolution Day | Russian: Годовщина Великой Октябрьской социалистической революции or Седьмое ноября | From 1927 to 1990, October Revokution Day commemorated the anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution. [5] Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it was replaced in Russia with the Day of Reconciliation and Agreement (Russian: День примирения и согласия) before amendments to the Labor Codex were adopted in December 2004, creating a new holiday, People Unity Day (Russian: День народного единства), which was moved to 4 November. |
Some holidays, particularly religious holidays, were celebrated but not officially recognized in the Soviet Union.
| Date | English name | Local name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 January | Orthodox Christmas | ||
| 25 January | Tatiana Day | Татьянин день | |
| 25 December | Catholic Christmas | ||
| 21 March | Nowruz | Новруз | Primarily celebrated in Soviet Central Asia and Soviet Transcaucasia |
| Date varies | Eid al-Fitr | Eid-i-Ramazon | Commemorates end of Ramadan |
| date varies | Eid al-Adha | Eid-i-Kurbon | Occurs 70 days after the end of Ramadan |
Russia Day called Day of adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of RSFSR before 2002, is the national holiday of the Russian Federation. It has been celebrated annually on 12 June since 1992. The day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) on 12 June 1990. The passage of this Declaration by the First Congress of People's Deputies marked the beginning of constitutional reform in the Russian Soviet state.
Victory Day is a holiday that commemorates the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. It was first inaugurated in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union following the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender late in the evening on 8 May 1945. The Soviet government announced the victory early on 9 May after the signing ceremony in Berlin. Although the official inauguration occurred in 1945, the holiday became a non-labor day only in 1965.
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy.
The following is the list of official public holidays recognized by the Government of Russia. On these days, government offices, embassies and some shops, are closed. If the date of observance falls on a weekend, the following Monday will be a day off in lieu of the holiday.
The Intercession of the Theotokos, or the Protection of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, is a Christian feast of the Mother of God celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches on October 1 . The feast celebrates the protection afforded the faithful through the intercessions of the Theotokos.
Defender of the Fatherland Day is a holiday observed in Russia, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. It is celebrated on 23 February, except in Kazakhstan, where it is celebrated on 7 May. Ukraine abolished the holiday starting 1992 and, after the Revolution of Dignity, has instated the somewhat similar Defender of Ukraine Day on 1 October.
The following are 11 public holidays in Ukraine.
Constitution Day is a Ukrainian public holiday celebrated on 28 June since 1996. It commemorates the anniversary of the approval by the Verkhovna Rada of the Constitution of Ukraine on 28 June 1996.
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration № 142-Н of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. It also brought an end to the Soviet Union's federal government and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's effort to reform the Soviet political and economic system in an attempt to stop a period of political stalemate and economic backslide. The Soviet Union had experienced internal stagnation and ethnic separatism. Although highly centralized until its final years, the country was made up of 15 top-level republics that served as the homelands for different ethnicities. By late 1991, amid a catastrophic political crisis, with several republics already departing the Union and Gorbachev continuing the waning of centralized power, the leaders of three of its founding members, the Russian, Belorussian, and Ukrainian SSRs, declared that the Soviet Union no longer existed. Eight more republics joined their declaration shortly thereafter. Gorbachev resigned on 25 December 1991 and what was left of the Soviet parliament voted to dissolve the union.
Resistance Fighting Day also known as Otto Tief Government Day is a public holiday in Estonia which takes on 22 September. It honors the Estonian commander Otto Tief's attempt to restore Estonian independence in 1944. The holiday is a date of remembrance, commemorating the victims of the subsequent re-establishment of Soviet rule in Estonia following the Nazi rule, and the resulting sovietisation of the republic from 1944–1950. It falls under the cultural symbols designed to recognize the Occupation of the Baltic states until 1991. It was known in the former Estonian SSR, as well as today by the Russian Federation and pro-Russian forces in Estonia as the Day of the Liberation of Tallinn from Nazi Invaders, celebrating the Soviet Tallinn Offensive by the Red Army's 2nd Shock and 8th Armies and the Baltic Fleet against the Wehrmacht.
Victory Day over Nazism in World War II was a national holiday and a non-working day in Ukraine from 2015 to 2023.
Defenders Day is a public holiday in Ukraine celebrated annually on 1 October. The holiday honors veterans and fallen members of the Ukrainian armed forces. Its first celebration was in 2015.
The Day of Sea and River Fleet Workers or the Sea and River Fleet Worker's Day – a professional holiday of sea and river fleet workers in the USSR, which was celebrated annually on the first Sunday of each July since 1981.
The Republic Day of Transnistria also known in the West as Independence Day or National Day is the main state holiday in the partially recognized republic of Transnistria. This date is celebrated annually on September 2.
The Day of the Workers of the Ukrainian Navy, also known as Navy Day, is a holiday in Ukraine. The holiday celebrates the founding of the Ukrainian Navy. Navy Day is a professional holiday that is celebrated on every first Sunday of July.
The Liberation Day of Ukraine, officially the Day of Liberation of Ukraine from Fascist Invaders, is a holiday celebrated annually on October 28 in Ukraine. It commemorates the Liberation of Ukraine from Nazi Germany on 28 October 1944.
Medical Worker Day is a professional holiday of medical staff which used to be celebrated in the Soviet Union and still continues to be celebrated in many post-Soviet countries. In most cases, the date of celebration is the third Sunday of June.
Border Guards Day, also known as Frontier Guards Day is a former Soviet holiday that celebrates the border guard services of Russia and former Soviet republics. It is currently observed in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan on 28 May - the anniversary of the formation of the Soviet Border Troops in 1918.
Police and Internal Affairs Servicemen's Day, commonly known outside Russia as the Day of the Police is a public holiday celebrated in Russia and most post-Soviet republics which honors all those serving in their national police. Russia, the most notable country to celebrate the holiday, was a pioneer in this celebration, using the occasion to honor the Police of Russia.
Airborne Forces Day also known as Paratroopers' Day is a professional military holiday observed in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, celebrated on 2 August annually. It was formerly celebrated in the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991. It was celebrated in Ukraine as Airmobile Forces Day from 1999 until 2017. It is the official holiday of the former Soviet Airborne forces.
| Major holidays | |
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| Religious holidays | |
