National Unity Day in Russia
November 4 · Level 10 · #105 of 2238
Russia's National Unity Day commemorates the volunteer forces led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky and the liberation of Moscow from Polish-Lithuanian forces in 1612. The national holiday connects that episode with the idea of civic unity.
How it is celebrated: official ceremonies, concerts, exhibitions, and history programmes mark the occasion. Flowers are laid at monuments to Minin and Pozharsky, while churches hold services honouring the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
The Minin and Pozharsky monument originally stood nearer the centre of Red Square. It was moved beside Saint Basil's Cathedral in 1931.