Russian National Holidays

If you look at the calendar of Russian holidays it may seem that each day on it is a cause for celebration, be it an anniversary, a religious or a professional holiday. But of course just a few dates are Russian national holidays celebrated nationwide.

The list of Russian national holidays starts with New Year’s Day on January 1 and is closely followed by Orthodox Christmas on January 7.

February and March are dedicated to men and women correspondingly, with Defender of the Fatherland Day, or unofficially Men’s Day, marked on February 23 and International Women’s Day on March 8.

On May 1 Russians celebrate Spring and Labor Day and on May 9—Victory Day, which is one of the most popular Russian national holidays.

Russia Day is marked on June 12 and then after a long break comes one of the youngest and least celebrated Russian national holidays—National Unity Day on November 4.

All the dates above are days off and are packed with official celebrations as well as parties with family or friends. If the holidays result in long weekends, many people use them for weekend trips inside Russia or abroad.