Holidays in Russia (3) There are many national holidays in Russia, when people all over the country do not work and have special celebrations. The major holidays are: New Year's Day, Women's Day, May Day, Victory Day, and Independence Day. The first holiday of the year is New Year's Day. People see the new year in at midnight on the 31st of December. They greet the new year with champagne and listen to the Kremlin chimes beating 12 o'clock. There are lots of New Year traditions in Russia. In every home there is a New Year tree glittering with coloured lights and decorations. Children always wait for Father Frost to come and give them a present. Many people consider New Year's Day to be a family holiday. But the young prefer to have New Year parties of their own. A renewed holiday in our country is Christmas. It is celebrated on the 7th of January. It's a religious holiday and a lot of people go to church services on that day. Non-official "Men's Day" is the 23d of February, it is a public holiday called "The Homeland Defenders Day". All men in Russia are liable for call-up (including reservists), so they all are celebrities. On this day women usually give men small gifts. On the 8th of March we celebrate Women's Day when men are supposed to do everything about the house and cook all the meals. This is pretty nice — at least once a year women can take a break and forget about all those dishes, cooking, kids, take a magazine and relax on a coach. The 1st of May is the Day of Labour. During Soviet time there were huge demonstrations on this day, as everybody was obliged to show his loyalty to the state; now only communists organize meetings on this date. The greatest national holiday in our country is Victory Day. On the 9th of May, 1945, the Soviet Army and its allies completely defeated the German fascists and the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War ended. A magnificent memorial on Poklonnaya Gora has been built to commemorate the Victory. Many veterans take part in the military parade and lay wreaths on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Radio and television broadcast popular war songs. A lot of guests from different countries of the . world come to Moscow to participate in the celebrations. Independence Day is anew holiday in our country. On the 12th of June, 1992, the first President of Russia was elected. The 1st of September is the Day of Knowledge — it's the beginning of a school year. Children go to schools with flowers for teachers, there are meetings before the classes start. The 12th of December — the Constitution Day. This day the first Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted in 1993 (previous Constitutions were all Soviet Unions). Russians love to celebrate. We adopted the Western holidays such as St. Valentine, and Halloween. We also appreciate Chinese New Year, Muslim and Jewish holidays, as Russians are very tolerant to other religions. We also celebrate Easter and lots of professional holidays which are not public holidays and banks, offices and schools do not close.
On the 8th of March we celebrate Women's Day when men are supposed to do everything about the house and cook all the meals. This is pretty nice — at least once a year women can take a break and forget about all those dishes, cooking, kids, take a magazine and relax on a coach. The 1st of May is the Day of Labour. During Soviet time there were huge demonstrations on this day, as everybody was obliged to show his loyalty to the state; now only communists organize meetings on this date. The greatest national holiday in our country is Victory Day. On the 9th of May, 1945, the Soviet Army and its allies completely defeated the German fascists and the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War ended. A magnificent memorial on Poklonnaya Gora has been built to commemorate the Victory. Many veterans take part in the military parade and lay wreaths on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Radio and television broadcast popular war songs. A lot of guests from different countries of the . world come to Moscow to participate in the celebrations. Independence Day is anew holiday in our country. On the 12th of June, 1992, the first President of Russia was elected. The 1st of September is the Day of Knowledge — it's the beginning of a school year. Children go to schools with flowers for teachers, there are meetings before the classes start. The 12th of December — the Constitution Day. This day the first Constitution of the Russian Federation was adopted in 1993 (previous Constitutions were all Soviet Unions). Russians love to celebrate. We adopted the Western holidays such as St. Valentine, and Halloween. We also appreciate Chinese New Year, Muslim and Jewish holidays, as Russians are very tolerant to other religions. We also celebrate Easter and lots of professional holidays which are not public holidays and banks, offices and schools do not close.