Below is the list of official public holidays recognized by the Russian government. On these days, government offices, embassies and some shops, are closed. If the date of observance falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday will be a day off in lieu of the holiday. 

Official holidays 

New Year ( Novy God) and Christmas (Rozhdestvo)

The New Year is the first in calendar and in popularity. Currently the New Year is a bigger holiday than Christmas in Russia. Since 1992 Christmas has been openly observed in Russia and now the New Year's celebration usually flows into the celebration of the Russian Orthodox Christmas. Russian Christmas comes two weeks later than in other countries, on January 7th. This difference is due to the Russian Orthodox Church that follows the Julian (old style) calendar.

Defender of the Fatherland Day (Den' zashchitnika Otechestva)

On 23 February, Russia honors those who are presently serving in the Armed Forces and those who have served in the past. During the era of the Soviet Union, it was called "Red Army Day" or the "Day of the Soviet Army and Navy" (celebrating the day of the first mass draft of the Red Army in Petrograd and Moscow or of the first combat action against the invading German forces). It is a tribute of respect to all the generations of Russian soldiers - from ancient times to the present - who courageously defended the motherland from invaders. On this day all male citizens, from young boys to old men, receive congratulations and presents, and military men greet each other. Women are happy to have an opportunity to say the warmest and sweetest words to their lovers and to spoil them by showering them with attention.

International Women's Day (Vos'moe Marta)

Every 8 March, the United Nations declares this day to celebrate women and the accomplishments they have made to society. Other than in the former Soviet republics, it is not celebrated much throughout the world. It is traditional on this holiday to present women with gifts and flowers to express appreciation for their work, love and devotion. It can be regarded as the equivalent of Mother's Day combined with some aspects of Valentine's Day. Thus, nowadays Russian women hardly ever recollect that this holiday originated as a day of rebellion of women struggling to equal their rights with the men's ones.

Spring and Labor Day

In the former Soviet Union,1 May was International Workers' Day and was celebrated with huge parades in cities like Moscow. Though the celebrations are low key nowadays, several groups march on that day to discuss the grievances the workers have. Several communist states (Cuba and North Korea) still hold this day as an official occasion with a military parade and columns of weapons and workers.

Victory Day (Den Pobedy)

Every 9 May, Russia celebrates the victory over Nazi Germany, while remembering those who died in order to achieve it. On 9 May 1945 (by Moscow time) the German military surrendered to the Soviet Union and the Allies of World War II Allies in Berlin (Karlshorst). A military parade is held in Moscow to celebrate the day. It is by far one of the biggest Russian holidays. Victory Day commemorates those who died in WWII and pays tribute to survivors and veterans. Flowers and wreaths are laid on wartime graves and special parties and concerts are organized for veterans. In the evening there is a firework display. A huge military parade, hosted by the President of the Russian Federation, is annually organized in Moscow on Red Square. Similar parades are organized in all major Russian cities.

Russia Day (Den Rossii)

Russia Day is a holiday of national unity celebrated on June 12. On this day, in 1990, Russian parliament formally declared its sovereignty. The holiday was officially established in 1994. Initially it was named "Day of the adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Russian Federation", on 1 February 2002 was officially renamed to "Russia Day" (in 1998 Boris Yeltsin offered this name socially). There exist some sources that say the name of this holiday was "Russia Independence Day", but it never had such a name in official documents.

Unity Day (Den Narodnovo Edinstva)

November 4. Unity Day, first celebrated in 2005, commemorates the popular uprising led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky which ejected the Polish invaders from Moscow in November of 1612, and more generally the end of the Time of Troubles and foreign intervention in Russia. The event was marked by a public holiday which was held in Russia on October 22 (Old style) from 1649 till 1917. Its name alludes to the idea that all the classes of Russian society willingly united to preserve Russian statehood when its demise seemed inevitable, even though there was neither Tsar nor Patriarch to guide them. Most observers view this as an attempted replacement to counter Communist demonstrations on November 7 holiday, which marked the anniversary of the October Revolution. Recently a film 1612 was made to explain to the Russian audiences the history behind the new holiday. This National Unity Day is also known as the Consolidation Day, which people in Russia celebrate on November 3 - November 4. Consolidation Day and National Unity Day are the synonyms, as the holiday name may be translated in different ways, so it is a National holiday.

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