In its early years the 7th of November was celebrated «искренне» [sincerely] and «с размахом» [in a big way]. This 1920′s poster asks a question “What did the October Revolution give to the female worker and female peasant” and answers it with banners on the building in the background that read “Home of the Mother and Child”, “Workers’ Club”, “Library”, “Dining Hall”, “Child Care”.
«Какой русский не любит праздновать» [What kind of a Russian doesn’t like to celebrate]! Russians celebrate with «смак» [gusto] both the well-established holidays and the newly adopted ones. Holidays that lose their «блеск» [luster] are never discarded, but instead reinvented. And even the ones that get forgotten or cast aside tend to «возрождаться» [reappear].
With reportedly over 200 recognized «праздники» [holidays], it happens from time to time that some days or weeks are more heavily celebrated than others. Consider 7 November – «седьмое ноября». Until just a few years ago this one day had to accommodate not one, not two, but FOUR holidays!
First, there was «День Великой Октябрьской социалистической революции» [Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution]. The entire phrase is such an exhausting mouthful that you might not even concentrate on the fact that this historical October event is celebrated in November. (If you know why this is, leave a comment here or on our Facebook page)
Once upon a time this might have been a big and sincere holiday. But when I was growing up, it became mostly just another reason to have «выходной» [a day off], «собраться с семьёй и друзьями» [get together with family and friends], eat «салат Оливье» [the Olivier salad], «выпить» [have a drink], and watch «парад на Красной площади» [parade in Red Square].
Then in 1995 the Great Revolution stopped being great and giving a day off for a non-politically correct holiday seemed lame. To fill the void or perhaps because the authorities realized that taking away an official holiday (and a corresponding day off ) might start another revolution 7 November became «день воинской славы» [Day of Military Glory]. Actually, it became one of the Days of Military Glory since there were several of them celebrated throughout the year. This particular one was celebrated in honor of «освобождение Москвы» [liberation of Moscow] from Poles in 1612.
Starting in 1996, «семидесятидевятилетняя годовщина революции» [79th anniversary of the Revolution], the day was officially celebrated as «День согласия и примирения» [Day of Unity and Reconciliation].
When «Владимир Путин» [Vladimir Putin] became Russian President, he added his own touch to the holiday. Starting in 2005, the day was to celebrate another «день воинской славы» [Day of Military Glory], this time – the date of the famous Red Square parade of 1941 that marked «двадцать четвёртая годовщина Октябрьской революции» [the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution].
If you’re keeping count, that’s four holidays in one day.
Sensibly, trying not to overwhelm the people with all that celebratory fervor, VVP (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin) moved the Day of Unity and Reconciliation aka National Unity Day to November 4th and made the 4th an official «нерабочий день» [day off from work] instead of the 7th.
With all these changes or maybe in spite of them, 36% of Russians still celebrated «День Октябрьской социалистической революции» [the October Socialist Revolution Day] in 2008. Note how the word «великая» [great] was quietly dropped from the name as «неуместный» [inappropriate] and «пережиток прошлого» [relic of the past].
If all this sounds confusing, here’s a quick list of the holidays at the beginning of November:
«Четвёртое ноября» [November 4th] – «День народного единства» [National Unity Day] and also «День воинской славы» [Day of Military Glory] – it’s a day off.
«Седьмое ноября» [November 7th] – another «День воинской славы» [Day of Military Glory] and also «День Октябрьской социалистической революции» [Day of October Socialist Revolution] – it’s not a day off unless it falls on a weekend.
In case you need to fill the days between the 4th and the 7th, you can also celebrate «День военного разведчика» [Military Intelligence Officer Day] on November 5th and «Международный день мужчин» [Men’s World Day] on November 6th (not to be confused with «Интернациональный мужской день» [International Men’s Day] on November 19th).
