The 9th of May is a very important and heartfelt day in Russia. It's called Victory day and it's the day when the country commemorates the surrender of Nazis in 1945. The signing of the German Instrument of Surrender actually happened in Berlin, late in the evening on 8 May 1945 (thus after midnight, already on 9 May Moscow Time).... Continue Reading →
Easter is a very important celebration in Russia, arguably even more important than Christmas! In Russian Orthodoxy and Eastern Christianityin general, the spiritual preparation for Easter begins with Great Lent, which starts on Clean Monday and lasts for 40 continuous days (including Sundays). The last week of Great Lent (following the fifth Sunday of Great Lent) is... Continue Reading →
In Russia Valentine's Day (День Свято́го Валенти́на - Day of Saint Valentine) is a popular celebration, in spite of being relatively recent, or maybe because it is relatively recent. Let me explain. As a rule, the concepts of Saint Valentine and Cupid only arrived in Eastern Europe and Asia in the last two decades. That was particularly... Continue Reading →
... Merry Christmas to all the people who are celebrating today! Here in Russia the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas, of course, on December 25th, but (yes, there is a but, hence the title of the post!) December 25th on Julius Cesar's calendar, not this new (1582) Gregorian calendar... Between the two there is currently a... Continue Reading →
Russia Through The Lens 