Soviet Holidays

In the Soviet Union there were thirty official state holidays. About ten of them were the actual days-off. Some Soviet holidays are still celebrated in the modern time Russia, unchanged. Other holidays were canceled or forgotten, and yet others were modified.


One of the Soviet holidays that remained completely unchanged is the New Year’s Day. Although, instead of having just one day day off on January 1, Russians now have from five to ten days off! Also, Russians have kept the International Women’s Day on March 8.


Another good example of the Soviet holiday that got preserved is February, 23, which used to be the Day of the Soviet Army and Navy. In the modern Russia, the name was slightly modified and is now called the Day of the Defender of the Motherland or, in short, Men’s Day.


Other Soviet holidays that remain in the Russian calendar are the Labour Day, celebrated  on May 1 and 2, and the Victory Day on May 9. Many political and military Soviet holidays have been canceled long ago—like the Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution, which was celebrated on November 7 and 8.


Some Soviet holidays were modified and renamed. Take the Constitution Day. It used to be celebrated on December 5. When a new Constitution was accepted, it was moved to October 7. Nowadays—it’s December 12, as the Constitution of the Russian Federation was accepted on December 12, 1993.