From Russia with (Family) Love
Posted: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 3:25 PM
Filed Under:
Moscow, Russia
By Yonatan Pomrenze, NBC News Producer
MOSCOW – Russia’s plethora of national holidays are tricky things. Nearly two decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia is still looking for its national identity – and nowhere is this seen better than in its holidays.
Some holidays have survived the transition from Soviet superpower to resurgent Russia via a weak and chaotic ’90s. These include New Years, International Women’s Day (March 8), Defenders of the Fatherland Day (February 23) and Victory Day (May 9). Others were done away with, like Constitution Day.
The most interesting batch are those holidays which were either recast from old ones or simply created anew.
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| Yonatan Pomrenze / NBC News |
| A wedding party celebrates Family Day in Moscow's Tsaritsino Park on July 8. |
Take National Unity Day (November 4). It was introduced in 2004 to replace the Day of Accord and Reconciliation, which came into being in 1996 to take the place of the old Soviet Revolution Day, which commemorated the 1917 Communist Revolution. With such a convoluted history, it’s no wonder that polls consistently show low percentages of the population actually knowing what some new holidays are supposed to commemorate.
And Unity Day has become the opposite – in Moscow, ultranationalist groups mark the day with anti-foreigner rallies.
So I was curious to see how the newest of the new Russian holidays – the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, marked on July 8 – would fare. (It should be noted that the day is recognized as a holiday – but it is not an official day off from work.)
It would be no small task, considering the competition from Valentine’s Day and a new grassroots holiday referred to as "Conception Day," which has been promoted in some regions to encourage couples to stay home, have sex and make babies for a Russia whose population is declining by over half-a-million people each year.
A celebration of fidelity
The biggest of the many events being held in Moscow for the holiday was at Tsaritsino, a park full of ponds, fountains and an old estate house. Under a sunny Moscow sky, a concert entertained dozens of young couples who decided to use the new holiday as their wedding date. Their wedding parties mixed in with the many onlookers who decided to come to see what the holiday was all about.
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| Yonatan Pomrenze / NBC News |
| A couple celebrates their wedding in Moscow's Tsaritsino Park to mark Family Day on July 8. |
"I heard about it on the radio," said Kapitalina Zaitseva, a 74-year-old pensioner who was confident the new holiday would take root in Russia. "Valentine’s Day isn’t ours. It came from the West. This one is ours….it will strengthen families."
The emphasis of the holiday is not on falling in love, as much as keeping people in it. At ceremonies held across Russia, medals were presented to couples who made it through 25 or 50 years and were still together. In Moscow, a "reconciliation bench" is to be installed with a sloping seat that pushes couple together so they can stay seated until they work out any arguments they are having.
Getting the word out may take more time, though, especially with the younger generation. When asked what holiday it was today, 19-year-old engineering student Sergei Drozdov answered confidently, "The founding of Paris. Or was that yesterday?" Upon hearing about the new Russian holiday, Drozdov figured it must be replacing Women’s Day.
Organizers stress that the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is not meant to replace any other holidays. "This is a holiday celebrating common human values. It has no boundaries and no nationality," said Valentina Petrenko, who chairs the government committee where the initiative for the holiday was put forward. "It can unite many people, not only in this country but abroad as well."
For now, though, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity still has its work cut out.
"Valentine’s Day is about love. People have many loves, but only one family. Starting one and supporting one is work," said Olga Smirnova, who runs a lifestyle magazine in Moscow and came to watch the festivities. Not exactly a sentiment for a holiday card, but it’s a start.
