There are plenty of holidays in Russia and many of them have been introduced during the last decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some of the former holidays got a red date on the calendar and became days off, such as Christmas 7 January, while others were created for a purpose.
Top-10 holidays that Russians celebrate
WCIOM, the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Centre, asked locals about the holidays they celebrate.
- New Year’s Eve (31 January) is the most popular holiday that 96% of respondents celebrate, with the first day of the year (1 January) being a public holiday.
- Victory Day (9 May) signifies the date when Nazi Germany signed capitulation to the USSR in the WWII. The capitulation to allied troops of the USA and UK had been signed the day before, even though Soviet Union was part of the anti-German coalition together with the Great Britain and the United States — fact, which many westerners are not aware of.
- The International Women’s Day (8 March) is embraced by 88% of respondents.
- The Day of the Defender of the Homeland (23 February) is loved by 84% of the population, according to the poll. This date used to be the Soviet Army Day during the times of the Soviet Union. It was given a new name and a public holiday status after the dissolution of the USSR.
- Easter (date changes by year) is celebrated by 82% of the respondents.
- Orthodox Christmas (7 January) is embraced by 77% of the population, judged by the sample. During the times of the Soviet Union this wasn’t a day off and only got this status recently.
- The Day of Spring and Labour (1 May) is welcomed by 63% of Russians. It has been historically held as the Labour Day in the USSR, marked by public demonstrations through city streets, organized as the display of unity of workers.
- The Day of Russia (Independence Day, 12 June) is a recent addition to the collection of public holidays and viewed as a holiday by 54% of respondents.
- The Day of National Unity (4 November) is viewed as a proper holiday by only 42% of respondents, while 56% stated they do not celebrate it. This public holiday is only 13 years old and basically replaced the Day of October Revolution that used to be allocated 2 days off on 7 and 8 November.
- St. Valentine’s Day (14 February) is embraced by 27% of Russians, although the country created recently its own Day of Faithfulness and Love on 6 July.
Other dates that Russians celebrate include the Day of Cosmos (12 April), which is the date when the first person in the space Yuri Gagarin undertook a trip around the Earth in a spaceship. 26% of locals love this day.
- Kurban-Bajram (Muslim holiday) is celebrated by 10% of locals.
- Halloween and Chinese New Year scored nods from 5% of respondents.
- St. Partick’s Day touched hearts of 3% of locals.
Which holidays women love to celebrate more?
Russian women join the festivities for some occasions more willingly.
- 86% of ladies love Easter as compared to 77% of guys.
- Christmas is embraced by 80% of ladies and only 73% of males.
- 6% more females than males celebrate The Day of National Unity: 45% vs. 39%.
But on other occasions, guys are ahead.
- The Day of Cosmos that is loved by 8% more males than females: 31% of guys participate vs. 23% of ladies.
- The male holiday The Day of the Defender of the Homeland is also slightly sewed in preferences: 85% of guys vs. 83% of ladies.
- Surprisingly, Valentine’s Day is one of them, too: 30% of guys vs. 24% of ladies.
Young and old
Unsurprisingly, older people are more inclined towards traditional holidays known since the times of the USSR.
The younger generation is more about love and naughty fun: Twice as many 18-24-year-olds love Valentine’s Day as the poll results in general: 54% vs. 27%. Among people over 45, only 19% of respondents recognize it.
Halloween scored 2.5 times more adepts among 18-24-year-olds: 13% of young Russians love it, while in the country as a whole it only scored 5%.
Youngsters are also more patriotic: 66% of young adults aged 18-24 celebrate The Day of Russia on 12 June as compared to 54% in the general population.
However, female and male days (8 March and 23 February) are less popular among the younger audience. 81% of youngsters recognize 8 March (as compared to 88% general result), while only 77% get festive on 23 February (vs. 84% Russia-wide).
City and country
Residents of large cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg are less excited by calendar dates and don’t see them as occasions to rejoice, as compared to people living in smaller towns.
For instance, The Day of National Unity (4 November) is celebrated more in towns with the population between 500,000 and 950,000 people than in capitals: (31% vs. 23%).
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Holiday – it’s a wonderful time, you can get together with family, friends, have fun. Personally, I like that Valentine’s Day and Halloween are popular in Russia nowadays. Many people are outraged that we are celebrating foreign holidays, but why not take a closer look at the traditions of other countries. We don’t have such a fun holiday like Halloween, and the kids like it so much – all these pumpkins and ghosts. Our traditional holidays are not so rich in attributes.