Why Russia doesn’t work half May?

This May there are very long holidays in Russia. We literally don’t work from May 1^st until May 11^th. Why is that? Is it common for Russia to have such long public holidays? Let’s find out!

International Workers’ Day

International Workers’ Day as known as Labour Day is celebrated in Russia on  May 1^st. The history of this holiday goes back to 19^th century when the workers from different countries of the world were fighting for their rights and better working conditions. Thanks to these movements we can now have, for example, a typical 8-hour working day.  In Russia, the tradition of celebrating Labour Day appeared during the Soviet period. Back then each May there was a tradition of massive demonstrations. In modern Russia the demonstrations are usually also held, but not this year due to Covid. It is even a bit ironic that Labour Day is a public holiday in Russia.

Orthodox Easter

This year the Orthodox Easter is celebrated on May 2^nd. However, there are no Easter holidays in Russia. Easter traditions here are quite different from catholic ones. First, Russians paint boiled eggs in different colors and exchange them if they visit their relatives or friends this day. The typical greeting during Easter won’t be hello, it will be “Christ is risen”. Also, the typical Easter table includes “paskha, especially prepared sweet cottage cheese and “kulich”, a special kind of sweet bread. Check our article about Easter in Russia to find out more about the celebrations!

Victory day

On May 9^th Russia celebrates Victory day. This is a non-working day in Russia, the day of memory of Soviet people who perished during the Second World War. Every year there is a military parade in many Russian cities. Also, a few years ago there appeared a tradition called “Immortal regiment”. People are coming on a demonstration holding photos of their relatives, who died during the war. Of course, this year celebrations are restricted due to Covid, and “immortal regiment” is taking place online.

But why do you say, Russian don’t work half-May, you may ask. There are just two public holidays! Generally, the days between May 1^st and May 9^th are normal working days, but many people take days off to have long holidays. This year Russian government decided to make non-working days from May 1^st to May 11^th as a measure against Covid-19. Of course, these days are not holidays this time, and self-quarantine is strongly recommended.