May Holidays in the Lives of Russian Women
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Anna
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Tatiana
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Iryna
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Tamara
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Holidays are an integral and very important part of culture in Russia. Official and unofficial, old religious and preserved Soviet, professional and private - all of them coexist successfully in the lives of modern Russian women. Moreover, some holidays have great emotional gravity to people while others are just official with no significant meaning. Nevertheless, knowing at least the main ones is the key to understanding Russian women, their values, and lifestyle.
Although many of the Russian holidays are multinational and celebrated around the world, there are several that are common just for Post-Soviet countries. Thus, the first ten days of May known as May Holidays is a period when the whole country has time off work and goes on a break to celebrate the coming of spring. It always starts on May 1 and continues until May 9 or 10. The reason for such a prolonged rest period is that several national holidays are celebrated at the beginning of May.
1 May
The 1 of May is the Spring and Labor Day in Russia. Despite the fact that it takes its roots in 19th century America, this holiday became popular in the times of the USSR as the celebration of communism's supposed superiority over capitalism and was known at that time as International Workers' Solidarity Day. Since its appearance, this holiday has been accompanied by public meetings and huge parades. Even now, when it has lost its political significance, it is still celebrated on a grand scale. However, most Russian men and women use this day off just as an opportunity to get together with friends or go out for a picnic.
2 May
This day is also an official day off for Russians. It is usually associated with an established USSR tradition called "mayovka" when Russian families or groups of friends celebrate May holidays in nature or gather for barbecues in their backyards.
9 May
This day is truly sacred for all Russian men and women. On the 9th of May, they celebrate Victory Day in commemoration of the Soviet victory in the Second World War. The fact is that Russia and other countries of the former USSR lost more than 20 million people in the war against Nazi Germany. Therefore, this holiday is always marked with official events, parades, concerts, fireworks, and media broadcasting to honor the surviving veterans and those people who gave their lives for the victory. It is also worth noting that even those Russian men and women, who are not very happy with their country, brim with patriotism on this great day.
In general, the first week of May is one of the biggest public holidays and happiest events in Russia in the whole year. People gather in the streets and outside the cities to celebrate spring and spend time with their families and friends. The all-around atmosphere is festive and relaxing. In this way, if you are going to connect your life with a Russian woman, be ready to take a vacation for a week, as your lady, most likely, will want to celebrate May Holidays!