Russian Language Day- June 6

The Russian language is complex, ironic, funny and beautiful - that's what makes so many people fall in love with this language and learn it.

With a hundred million Russian-speaking in the world, the Russian language is anything but in extinction danger. However, for many of us it's alphabet seems too hard to learn.

To encourage us to learn Russian, in 2010 the United Nations declared the Russian Language Day. On this date reading events, music performances and more cultural events are held, in the Russian language.

This date coincides with the birthday of Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), a Russian genius who wrote novels, drama, poetry and much more.

Want to celebrate the Russian language? Find a good book written by the Russian writer, listen to Russian songs or start to learn Russian or the Cyrillic alphabet.

Learn Russian

June 6 is also Yo-Yo Day

Novy God- 31 December

Novy God (Russian: Новый Год) is the Russian phrase for "New Year", and also designates the Russian New Year's Eve and New Years' Day celebration.

The Holiday Novy God is celebrated in Russia since 1937. Until then, the communist government banned celebrate religious holidays like Christmas. You could say that this is a secular holiday that people of all religions can celebrate it if they want.

In Novy God, the Russians use symbols similar to those of Christians on Christmas like a Christmas tree (Yolka) and Santa Claus (Grandfather Frost), but there are differences:

Yolka (Christmas tree)

The roots of the custom of placing a Christmas tree planted in pagan custom of placing a tree, symbolizing life, at the height of winter. Ancient mosaic discovered in Tunisia, it seems Dionysus, Greek god of wine, holding a fir tree branch as a symbol of life. Christianity appropriated the evergreen tree, a symbol of eternity of Christ.

Grandfather Frost (Santa Claus)

In Christianity, Santa Claus is a fictional character that comes in red dress from Lapland, Finland, with reindeer-drawn sleigh to distribute presents to all children. Grandfather's role is educational because the gifts he brings the good kids.

Russian version of Santa Claus is Ded Moroz (Grandfather frost in Russian translation). Ded Moroz's roots traced back to pagan beliefs. Also distributes gifts to children, but comes home not a sleigh, but on the troika (three horse-drawn carriage), The differences are evident in the clothes. Ded Moroz wears a long fur coat, fur hat round and tall boots and holding a magic wand. Determined that the coat color of Ded Moroz will not be red to differentiate it from Santa Claus west. Stalin, for example, ordered that "Grandfather Frost" wear only blue coat. However, the Russians are not careful about this, and often can be seen Ded Moroz in red but it does not come from desire to get close to Christianity.

Ded Moroz comes together with his granddaughter promenade "Snegurochka". According to one legend, Snegurochka is the daughter of spring and frost has atrract to humans. She does not know love, because her heart is frozen . Her mother feels sorry for her and gives her the ability to love, but then her heart heats up and melts. According to another legend, a lonely elderly couple made a snow girl and animated her.

Customs of the holiday are:

A costume party for children

Gifts giving

Placing Yolka (spruce, pine or spruce)

Holiday meal and hospitality

Drinking champagne

Unity Day in Russia - November 4

Unity Day (also called National Unity Day or National Unity Day, Russian: День народного единства, Den 'narodnogo yedinstva) is a national holiday in Russia celebrated on November 4th.

This day is in memory of the popular uprising that expelled the Polish occupation forces from Moscow in November 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of troubles and the turning point in the Polish-Moscow war (1605-1618).

The name of the day alludes to the idea that all strata of Russian society united to preserve the Russian state, when there were no tsars or fathers to guide them.

In 1613 Emperor Mikhail Romanov instituted a holiday called "Moscow Liberation Day Polish Invaders". It was celebrated in the Russian Empire until 1917, when it was replaced in the wake of the Russian Revolution.Unity Day was returned by the Russian Federation in 2005, and has since been celebrated on November 4th. It is also the holiday of the Russian Orthodox emblem of "Our Lady of Kazan", a sacred symbol of the upper class of the Russian Orthodox Church.

November 4 is also Use Your Common Sense day & National Unity & Armed Forces Day in Italy

Pirozhki Day- October 8th

On 8 October, the International Day of Pirozhki is celebrated. The Pirozhki is a stuffed pastry dish originating in Eastern Europe.
The Pirozhki is a bun of fried or baked yeast dough filled with meat, potatoes, cabbage, onions, eggs, fish, steamed vegetables and more.
This is how it is written in Russian: пирожки.
There are different styles in different kitchens, such as in the Caucasian kitchen where they are usually filled with potatoes and sold as fast food.
Balkan cuisine fills it with different things and sells it mainly as fast food. In the Balti kitchen it becomes a crescent shaped (like croissant), made from baked bread dough, and filled with onions and pork, potatoes, mushrooms and cabbage. Latvians also serve sweet versions of Pirozhki.
In Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, the Persian is a popular fast food that they knew from the Russians. People of non-Russian origin also prepare a verse at home.
In Mongolia, too, they like to make piroshki in many houses.
In the Romanian kitchen there is a dish with a similar name, Piroşcă, which is deep-fried dough with fried onions and stuffed with potatoes. The Pirozhki is served hot or very hot.

October 8th is also Octopus Day