Day of Russian

Do you know why June 6th is a significant date for the Russian people? Surprisingly, this day marks more than one holiday. On June 6, 1799, the greatest Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin was born, and so we celebrate Pushkin’s birthday. The Day of Russian is another holiday that falls on this day. What is most remarkable about June 6 is the direct link between these two holidays. Alexander Pushkin is known as the father of the modern Russian literary language as well as of modern Russian literature. The Day of Russian has been officially celebrated in our country on Pushkin’s birthday since 2011 and deservedly so. Pushkin had a dramatic impact on the Russian language and literature, and we are grateful to him for this.

The idea of establishing such a holiday as the Day of Russian was approved and supported by the UN that first celebrated International Russian Language Day in 2010. The UN now annually holds this celebration within the scope of the program of support and development of multilingualism and cultural variety. The Day of Russian is thus an internationally recognized holiday along with the Day of English, Day of French, Day of Chinese, Day of Spanish and Day of Arabic. Thus, all 6 official languages of the UN are viewed as equal.

The Day of Russian draws attention to the official language of Russia, some countries of the CIS, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. Russian is also an unofficial language in the countries of the former USSR. Knowledge of Russian is compulsory for all spacemen who work at the International Space Station. The Day of Russian is celebrated with different competitions, lectures, exhibitions, and concerts.