Russian holidays and traditions

1. Russian holidays and traditions

Made by
Artur
Batraev

2.

• Russian holidays have come
from a wide variety origins.
The oldest festivals have their
roots in both pagan tradition
and Eastern Orthodox
religion. More recent holidays
had their start during the
period of the Soviet Union.
The newest holidays were
created following the breakup
of the USSR and the founding
of new, independent nations.

3. Orthodox Easter

• Orthodox Easter, also known as
Paskha , takes place in
springtime, usually April or early
May. Observed by all Eastern
Orthodox, Easter is an official
holiday only in Ukraine – its an
unofficial holiday in Russia and
Belarusian. Eastern Orthodox
churches mark the event with a
midnight service on Easter
Sunday. After the service, Easter
baskets are blessed. This
signifies the end of the Great
Lent, a forty day fast which
culminates into a “great” feast.
Symbolic foods of Easter include
the painted Easter egg, Easter
bread, and a traditional Easter
dish made of tvorog.

4. Victory Day

• May 9 is an official holiday in Russia.
Falling on the historical date of Nazis
Germany’s surrender in 1945,
Victory Day is a somber day to
commemorate the immense sacrifice
of Soviet men and women during the
Great Patriotic War . It is believed
that over 20 million Soviet soldiers
and civilians lost their lives in the
war, a price largely overlooked in the
West, but never forgotten in former
Soviet nations. Every city has an
“Eternal Flame” to pay tribute to
those who perished. On Victory Day
citizens gather to lay flowers in
remembrance. Military processions
and salutes are also common,
particularly in larger cities.

5. Ivan Kupala

• Ivan Kupala is an old pagan
fertility right that was
accepted into the Orthodox
Christian calendar. Related
to the summer solstice
when nights are the
shortest, festivities take
place the night of July
6th/7th .Enthusiastically
celebrated by youth, the
holiday is marked with
water fights , jumping over
bonfires and unwed
women floating flower
wreaths. “Village folk” also
venture into the forest at
midnight in search of the
elusive, magical fern flower.