The only day off in Russia falls in autumn - in honor of the Day of National Unity. How will Russians rest in November 2015 in honor of this festive date?
November holidays - weekend in 2015
National Unity Day is celebrated in Russia on November 4. In 2015, this date falls in the middle of the week - on Wednesday. In such cases, weekends are generally not carried over.
Therefore, rest on November 4 in Russia this year will be only one day, and the working week will be "torn" for two two days:
- November 2, Monday - a working day,
- November 3, Tuesday - a pre-holiday working day,
- November 4, Wednesday - public holiday,
- November 5, Thursday - a working day,
- November 6, Friday - a working day.
On the pre-holiday working day, November 3, in accordance with the Russian Labor Code, the length of the working day should be reduced by one hour.
School holidays traditionally coincide with the November holidays. In most Russian schools operating on a "classic" quarter-time schedule, the fall holidays in 2015 will last 9 days and will run from October 31 to November 8.
In Moscow schools operating according to the modular scheme of "five to six weeks of study - one week of vacation", a single time for November holidays is set, which does not coincide with the traditional schedule: schoolchildren will have a rest from November 17 to 23. However, November 4 will be a day off for such educational institutions as well.
Is November 7th a day off or not?
On November 7, Soviet Russia celebrated the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. It has been celebrated annually since 1918; on this day, mass demonstrations and parades took place in Soviet cities. In 1928, the November holidays were "extended" - not only 7, but also 8 November became a day off.
After the collapse of the USSR and the change of ideology, the November holidays were reformed: starting in 1992, the 8th day ceased to be a “red day of the calendar” and became an ordinary working day, and there was only one holiday left in November. In 1995, November 7 was declared the Day of Military Glory, in 1996 the holiday was given a new name - "Day of Accord and Reconciliation".
But in 2005, the Day of National Unity, celebrated on November 4, appeared in the Russian calendar, and the celebration on November 7 was abolished.
Now in Russia, November 7 is not a day off - it's an ordinary day. However, in 2015, November 7 falls on Saturday, and November 8 falls on Sunday, so in addition to celebrating November 4, Russians have the opportunity to relax according to the "Soviet schedule" familiar to many.
What we celebrate on November 4th
National Unity Day has been celebrated in Russia since 2005. It is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the events in Moscow in 1612 - on November 4, the troops of the people's militia, led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, stormed Kitay-Gorod and liberated Moscow from the Polish invaders. This assault became a symbol of the unity of the people of a multinational country, rallied in the face of the enemy, regardless of differences in origin, religion or position in society.
The introduction of this holiday was largely due to the need to replace the "ideologically outdated" day of November 7, while preserving the tradition of the autumn state-patriotic holidays. On National Unity Day, rallies, festivities, concerts and other festive events are held in Russian cities.
