November
4th is always a special day in our family. Hint: It's my birzsday! In
Russia, November 4th is a national holiday. Shouldn't everyone get a national
holiday on their birthday? The holiday is called Unity Day. According to some
quick research I did, Unity Day is a day that calls for tolerance between all
ethnic and religious groups that reside in the Russian Federation. This day
also celebrates the liberation of Russia from Polish-Lithuanian invaders and
national heroes, such as Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky. Their monument is
the statue in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. This holiday has changed a few
times throughout history and was finally dubbed Unity Day in 2005. Read more about the holiday here.
National heroes Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky
The Golden Temple, a Buddhist temple in Elista, Kalmykia, Russia.
We visited this temple on our road trip this summer.
Selfishly, I
am excited about this holiday because it means Mark gets a three-day
weekend...on my birthday! :) But seriously, I do believe
that this is a great holiday to celebrate in Russia. Although it is a younger
holiday, I hope it continues to remind people to come together and accept one
another no matter their ethnicity, religion, sexual preference, or background
year after year. We hope all of our Russian friends have a great Unity
Day. Cheers to unity!
