RUSSIA DAY 12-th JUNE

Quoting the NTV channel website, Russia Day is “a big patriotic holiday, the symbol of national unity and civil peace”. There is an official program: streets and buildings are decorated with the colors of the national flag, concerts and other events are held throughout the day at various locations (including a big show in the Red Square in Moscow), followed by fireworks at the end of the day.

At the same time, Russians seem to spend the day as every other day off work (taking into account that this year the holiday falls on a Wednesday and most have to go to work the next day!): spend time with their families, go for leisurely strolls or simply relax a bit. One thing is certain, though! We are not ready to give up the holiday, even though we are still not 10 ... Читать дальше »

Ivan Kupala Day 

Ivan Kupala Day or Kupala Night is enthusiastically celebrated in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus on the night of 7 July. The celebration relates to the summer solstice when nights are the shortest and includes a number of Pagan rituals. The Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian name of this holiday combines “Ivan” (John — the Baptist) and Kupala which is related to a word derived from the Slavic word for bathing, which is cognate. The latter is reinterpreted as John’s baptizing people through full immersion in water (therefore his biblical title of the Baptist). However, the tradition of Kupala predates Christianity. Due to the popularity of the pagan celebration, with time it was simply accepted and reestablished as one of the native Christian traditions intertwined with local folklore.

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Ivan Kupala Day or Kupala Night 

International Children's Day

       If today nature gave a warm sunny day, it becomes doubly joyful because on the first day of summer in many countries is the International Children's Day (International Children's Day) . This holiday is familiar to many Russians as the International Children's Day.

         International Children's Day - one of the oldest international holidays. The decision to hold it was made in 1925 at the World Conference on Child Welfare in Geneva. History is silent, why this children's holiday, it was decided to celebrate it on June 1st. According to one version, in 1925, Consul General of China in San Francisco gathered a group of Chinese orphans and arranged for them at the celebration of Duan Jie (Dragon Boat Festival) , the date of which just fell on June 1st. By happy coincidence, the day coincided with the timing of "child& ... Читать дальше »

My summer holidays

Everyone knows that for all students the best time of the year is summer holidays. First of all, you’re free from school and may forget about textbooks, lessons, homework for all three months. Moreover, you don’t have to wake up early every day and have all this annoying routine. So you just have the opportunity to relax and enjoy perfect summer time.

As for me, my summer is quite typical from year to year. I usually spend June at home. I get up late all the time and try to be outside with my friends as much as possible. I really enjoy cool summer evenings when my friends and I can go for a walk in the park or ride around the city on our bikes. Also, we like rollerblading a lot. If the weather is bad I normally stay at home playing computer games or just surfing the Internet.

Then July I usually spend in the countryside with my grandparents. I have a lot of friends there as well. We ... Читать дальше »

THE VICTORY DAY

One of the most remarkable public events in Russia is the Victory Day. It is traditionally celebrated on the 9th of May. The holiday marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War in 1945. It became the end of the Great Patriotic War for the USSR, which lost about 25 million citizens in the four years of fighting and starvation.

Every year all cities across the country have lots of parades and celebrations. Even though the fact that the holiday is celebrated cheerfully, May 9 is a sad day for the majority of our population. Many people have lost close relatives and friends in this terrible war. Almost every family in Russia has a person who didn’t return from the battlefield. A great number of people were seriously injured and became disabled. On this day we are grateful to our savio ... Читать дальше »

SPRING

There are four seasons in the year; they are winter, spring, summer and autumn. Spring consists of three months: March, April and May. But we define spring not only with the help of a calendar. We can feel it. Air is fresh; the warm wind blows in spring. You can see and smell new emerald grass, the sun spreads golden beams. Why are we waiting for spring? Why are we so glad to see new leaves and flowers? Probably we are tired because of long, cold and gloomy winter. People become more patient, friendlier.

Spring is my favourite season. I prefer this season to the others because in spring the nature is new,everything becomes easy. Among all seasons spring plays a special role. Every year it begins a new page in nature life. I call spring a wonderful morning of the year.

Many poets have devoted their works to spring. For example, Pushkin, Yesenin, Tyutchev, Fet w ... Читать дальше »