Good afternoon, dear readers. Today I want to congratulate everyone on the holiday, today is the day of the national unity of Russia. Previously, I did not quite understand what kind of holiday it was, why it was needed, well, they give a day off, and okay.

But working in culture (and apparently growing up), I began to look at the holidays in a different way. Or rather, studying in more depth the very essence of the Russian people, I am more and more proud of the fact that I live in Russia and that I am Russian. Let's see why National Unity Day is celebrated on November 4 and why it is so important.

A bit of the history of the holiday.

The holiday, as uniting all the peoples of Russia, was established in December 2004, and was first celebrated in 2005. But the history of the formation of this holiday begins many centuries ago. Let's briefly define what and how.

At the turn of the XVI-XVII centuries in Russia there was a period called "Time of Troubles". It was a very difficult period for the state, especially for people. Moscow was conquered by the Polish invaders and, in fact, a little more time, and our Russia would not have become ours at all.

Then the period of the reign of the Rurik dynasty was over. And the Poles could enter the throne. No, our Russian spirit was and is very strong, the common people did not care where and how to live. An attempt was made to gather a militia. He was collected, but the internal strife in the militia also scattered him.

Then a second attempt was made. In September 1611, in Nizhny Novgorod, the zemstvo head Kuzma Minin appealed to people with an appeal to raise funds and create a militia to liberate the country. The population of the city was charged with a special tax for organizing the militia. At the suggestion of Minin, Prince of Novgorod Dmitry Pozharsky was invited to the post of chief governor.

Not everything was smooth there, but the desire of the people to be free, to live on their land was stronger than ever. The militia was assembled not only in Nizhny Novgorod, but also in many other cities. Gathered people of different classes and nationalities. And at that time, an army of unprecedented numbers gathered.

The tasks of the militia included not only the liberation of Moscow, but also the formation of a new government. And in 1612, a huge army set out from Nizhny Novgorod to Yaroslavl, where a provisional government was created: "The Council of the Whole Earth." And later, with a list of the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God, revealed in 1579, the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo militia managed on November 4, 1612 to take Kitay-Gorod by storm and expel the Poles from Moscow.

This victory served as a powerful impetus for the revival of the Russian state. So the first Romanovs entered the throne. And the icon has become a subject of special reverence.

Miraculous icon.

Prince Pozharsky believed so strongly that the icon of the Kazan Mother of God helped in the victory that he built the Kazan Cathedral at his own expense on the edge of Red Square.

In 1649, by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the obligatory celebration of November 4 was established as a day of gratitude to the Most Holy Theotokos for her help in liberating Russia from the Poles. The holiday was celebrated in Russia until the Revolution of 1917.

This day entered the church calendar as the Celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in memory of the deliverance of Moscow and Russia from the Poles in 1612.

Thus, National Unity Day is essentially not a new holiday, but a return to an old tradition.

The essence of this holiday.

This holiday does not symbolize victory, but the rallying of the people, thanks to which the great victory took place. National Unity Day is very important for our country. We must remember and understand that only together we can overcome difficulties.

About 195 peoples and nationalities with various religious trends live on our territory. But we are still Russians, we are one country. And even when many people scold young people, they say, we are so careless and so on, I still have no doubt that when the time comes, we will unite and shoulder to shoulder we will overcome difficulties.

This is our Russian spirit. We must remember not only important dates, but also the very essence that by rallying, uniting, we can overcome anything.

Take the Great Patriotic War, for example. Hitler could not understand why he could not defeat Russia. After all, it was so easy for him to conquer corrupted Europe. And this is our unity, our spirit. We do not spare ourselves, because we know what we are giving our lives for. For the future of their children, the future of their state.

To be honest, I do not know of vivid examples of such unity in other states and peoples. I am proud to live in such a diverse country, rich in culture and Russian spirit. Once I asked my classmate, who are you by nationality, he smiled and said, they say, I’m Russian, although I’m Tatars, but Russian Tatars. A foreigner would have a brain burst from such an answer.

National Unity Day is an occasion for all citizens of the country to realize and feel like a single people.

How it is celebrated.

For the first time, in new Russia, this holiday was celebrated in 2005, with special attention in Nizhny Novgorod. A monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky was unveiled there.

In general, the most magnificent celebrations are held in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. In other cities, festivities are held in the same colorfully and brightly. Processions, festivities, fairs, concerts and so on are held.

Everyone is walking and having fun, but the main focus is the patriotic orientation of the celebration. All parks, open areas, concert halls are filled with a large number of people. They are all different nationalities, but they are all one. We are united not only in the face of danger, but always. We must all understand this and educate the young generation correctly.

All with a great holiday - Happy National Unity Day!

Updated: November 3, 2017 by the author: Pavel Subbotin