Message about the national unity day holiday. National Unity Day - the history of the holiday. Where did National Unity Day come from?

The holiday was established in December 2004 at the initiative of the Interreligious Council of Russia, consisting of leaders of the country's traditional confessions, as a national holiday that unites all the peoples of Russia.

For the first time, this new national holiday was celebrated on November 4, 2005, but its history begins much earlier - several centuries ago.

Story

The date of the holiday was not chosen by chance - historically, National Unity Day is associated with the distant events of the beginning of the 17th century, when in 1612 Moscow was finally liberated from the Polish invaders.

At the turn of the XVI-XVII centuries, a string of tragic circumstances occurred in Russia, and this era went down in history under the name Time of Troubles. Historians believe that the immediate cause of the Troubles was the end of the Rurik dynasty. The situation was also complicated by the extremely unfavorable domestic economic situation and foreign invasion.

By call His Holiness Patriarch Hermogenes, who died at the hands of the Poles for his fidelity to Orthodoxy and canonized as a saint, the Russian people stood up to defend their homeland.

The first militia was headed by the Ryazan governor Prokopy Lyapunov. But because of the strife between the nobles and the Cossacks, who, on false charges, killed the governor, the militia disintegrated.

Then, in September 1611, in Nizhny Novgorod, Zemstvo headman Kuzma Minin appealed to people to raise funds and create a militia to liberate the country. The population of the city was subject to a special tax for the organization of the militia. At the suggestion of Minin, the Novgorod prince Dmitry Pozharsky was invited to the post of chief governor.

Monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow

Letters were sent from Novgorod to other cities calling for the collection of the militia. In it, in addition to townspeople and peasants, small and medium-sized nobles also gathered. The main militia forces were formed in the cities and counties of the Volga region.

The program of the people's militia consisted in the liberation of Moscow from the invaders, the refusal to recognize sovereigns of foreign origin on the Russian throne (which the boyar nobility sought, inviting the Polish prince Vladislav to the kingdom), as well as the creation of a new government.

For that time, a huge army gathered under the banner of Minin and Pozharsky, which in March 1612 set out from Nizhny Novgorod and went to Yaroslavl, where a temporary "Council of the whole Earth" was created - a government body in which leading role townspeople and representatives of the petty service nobility played.

Representatives of all estates and all peoples that make up the Russian state participated in the national militia, for the liberation of the Russian land from foreign invaders.

With a list miraculous icon Kazan Mother of God, revealed in 1579, the Nizhny Novgorod Zemstvo militia managed on November 4, 1612 to storm Kitai-Gorod and expel the Poles from Moscow.

This victory served as a powerful impetus for the revival Russian state. And the icon became a subject of special veneration.

At the end of February 1613, the Zemsky Sobor, which included representatives of all the estates of the country - the nobility, boyars, clergy, Cossacks, archers, black-haired peasants and delegates from many Russian cities, elected Mikhail Romanov, the first Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty, as Tsar.

The Zemsky Sobor of 1613 was the final victory over the Time of Troubles, the triumph of Orthodoxy and national unity.

The confidence that it was thanks to the icon of the Kazan Mother of God that the victory was won was so deep that Prince Pozharsky, with his own money, specially built the Kazan Cathedral on the edge of Red Square.

IN church calendar This day was included 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 at all, but a return to an old tradition.

The essence of the holiday

This holiday no longer symbolizes victory, but the rallying of the people, which made it possible to defeat the interventionists.

The holiday encourages people not only to remember the most important historical events but also to remind the citizens of a multinational country of the importance of unity. It also serves as a reminder that only together can we overcome difficulties and overcome obstacles.

Representatives of 195 peoples and nationalities, which belong to dozens of religious movements, live on the territory of Russia.

The main task of the holiday, both in the pre-revolutionary and at the present time, comes down to the unity of people different religions, origin and status to achieve common purpose- stable civil peace, as well as respect for patriotism and courage, which was shown by the liberators of Moscow.

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

How they celebrate

The first Day of National Unity was solemnly celebrated in 2005 - Nizhny Novgorod became the main center of festive events. The main event of the holiday was the opening of the monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky.

National Unity Day is planned to be celebrated this year as magnificently as in previous years. The most grandiose events are planned in Moscow and in Nizhny Novgorod, where the militia of Minin and Pozharsky came from.

A large, multi-million march through the city and the laying of flowers at the Minin and Pozharsky memorial are planned.

On National Unity Day festive events patriotic orientation, processions, festivities, fairs, exhibitions and so on. All major parks in Moscow have prepared a big entertainment program to the Day of National Unity.

The Kremlin will host a solemn ceremony of awarding the President's Prize for Strengthening the Unity of the Russian Nation and a concert "We are United".

Solemn concerts, fireworks, and mass festivities will be held throughout the country.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

Since 2005, on the fourth day of November, Russia has been celebrating National Unity Day. The holiday - albeit with a distinct "political" connotation - reminds us of an important date in the history of the country: the salvation of Russia from the complete loss of independence in 1612.

Authorities new Russia do not favor the main communist holiday - November 7, when the anniversary of the October socialist revolution 1917. Therefore (whatever officials say) in 2004 The State Duma Russian Federation changed the law "On the days of military glory". As a result, a new holiday appeared - National Unity Day. The explanatory note to the draft law stated:

“On November 4, 1612, militia soldiers led by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky stormed Kitay-Gorod, freeing Moscow from Polish invaders and demonstrating a model of heroism and solidarity of the entire people, regardless of origin, religion and position in society.”

To consolidate the significance, he was given a day off, which previously “belonged” to November 7th. For the first time a new holiday was celebrated in 2005, i.e. exactly 10 years ago.

Since November 7, by the way, they did beautifully - now the anniversary of the famous Parade on Red Square in November 1941 is officially celebrated on this day. Then the parade seemed to be started in honor of the 24th anniversary of the same October Revolution, but it was more remembered by contemporaries for another reason - a demonstration military power besieged by the Nazis and outright losing the first months of the Great Patriotic War Moscow. However, back to the November 4th holiday - it's time to see why our legislators chose this date.

Troubled times begin

IN late XVI century, Russia entered one of the most unstable periods in its history. In 1598, the last tsar of the Rurik dynasty, Fyodor Ioannovich, died, leaving no heirs. The country was devastated - the countless conquests of Ivan IV the Terrible affected, it was especially difficult for Russia Livonian War. Historians wrote that ordinary people in those years were mortally tired - both from wars and from the authorities, which, after the cruel oprichnina, they simply ceased to respect. Harvest failures, which provoked a monstrous famine of 1601-1603, which killed up to 0.5 million people, became a serious factor in instability.

Power in the person of the new monarch, the former boyar Boris Godunov, did not sit idly by. People flocked in droves to Moscow, where they were given bread and money from the state stocks. But Godunov's kindness played against him - the chaos only intensified due to the peasant gangs formed in the capital (they included serfs and servants expelled from the noble estates due to the landowner's lack of money and work).

The Time of Troubles began due to the spread of rumors that the legitimate heir to the throne - Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich from the Rurik dynasty - was still alive, and not dead, as was commonly believed before. But rumors were spread by an impostor who went down in history under the name " False Dmitry". Enlisting the support of Polish aristocrats and converting to Catholicism, in 1604 he gathered an army and went on a campaign against Moscow. It was not so much his own talents that helped him win, but the failures of the authorities - the betrayal of the governor Basmanov and the death of Godunov. On June 20, 1605, Moscow greeted False Dmitry with rejoicing. But the boyars and ordinary Muscovites quickly realized that the new tsar was already very oriented towards Poland. The last straw was the arrival in the capital of the Polish accomplices of False Dmitry - on May 16, 1606, an uprising broke out, during which the impostor was killed. The country was headed by the representative of the "Suzdal" branch of Rurikovich, the noble boyar Vasily Shuisky.

It didn't get any quieter, though. The first two years of the new government were seriously threatened by the rebellious Cossacks, peasants and mercenaries of Ivan Bolotnikov - there was a time when the rebels, angry with boyar arbitrariness, stood near Moscow. In 1607, a new impostor appeared - False Dmitry II (also known as " Tushinsky thief”) - a year later, under his rule, there were already seven significant Russian cities, including Yaroslavl, Vladimir and Kostroma. In the same year, the Nogai Horde and Crimean Tatars for the first time in long years decided to raid the Russian lands.

Together with False Dmitry II, Polish troops came to Rus' (so far unofficially). They behaved even for the interventionists, to put it mildly, defiantly - they plundered cities (even those that voluntarily agreed to the power of the new “king”), taxed the local population with excessive taxes and “fed” in them. The national liberation movement rose, and the authorities supported it - Russia signed the Vyborg Treaty with Sweden, according to which, in exchange for the Korelsky district, it received a 15,000-strong detachment of mercenaries. Together with them, the talented Russian commander, a relative of the legitimate tsar, Mikhail Skopin-Shuisky, inflicted several painful defeats on the invaders.

But here Russia was again out of luck. Tsar Shuisky and his brother Dmitry, frightened by the popularity of Skopin-Shuisky, poisoned the young military leader (otherwise he would take away power!). And then, as luck would have it, the Polish king Sigismund III declared war on the exhausted internal problems neighbor and laid siege to the powerful fortress of Smolensk. But in the battle of July 4, 1610 at Klushino, the Russian troops, led by the mediocre Dmitry, were defeated by the Poles due to the betrayal of German mercenaries. Having learned about the successes of the Polish army, False Dmitry II came to Moscow from the south.

In the capital itself there was already a new power - the boyars lost the last remnants of confidence in the "boyar tsar" Shuisky and overthrew him. As a result, a council of seven boyars came to power, which went down in history as the Seven Boyars. The new rulers immediately decided who would become their king - the choice fell on the Polish prince Vladislav.

But here the people already opposed - no one wanted a Catholic ruler. People decided - it’s better to have “their own” False Dmitry than Vladislav. One by one, even those cities that had previously fought desperately with him began to swear allegiance to the impostor. The Seven Boyars were frightened by False Dmitry II and took an unheard of step - they let the Polish-Lithuanian troops into Moscow. The impostor fled to Kaluga. The people were on his side - people really did not like the way the Polish interventionists behaved in the country. The self-proclaimed Rurikovich really began to fight the Poles - he liberated several cities, defeated the army of the Polish hetman Sapieha. But on December 11, 1610, he quarreled with the Tatar guards and was killed. It became clear that no one but the Russians themselves would save the country.

People's militias

There were two. The first was headed by the Ryazan nobleman Prokopy Lyapunov. His authority was recognized former supporters False Dmitry II: Prince Dmitry Trubetskoy, Grigory Shakhovskoy, Cossacks of Ivan Zarutsky. The Poles knew about the conspiracy and were nervous: as a result, they mistook a domestic quarrel in the market for the beginning of an uprising and massacred thousands of Muscovites. In Kitai-Gorod alone, the number of victims reached seven thousand...

At the end of March 1611, the First Militia approached Moscow. The militia took several districts of Moscow ( White City, Zemlyanoy Gorod, part of Kitay-gorod), and then they chose a "provisional government" called the "Council of the whole earth" headed by Lyapunov, Trubetskoy and Zarutsky. But at one of the military councils of the militia, the Cossacks rebelled and killed Lyapunov. The two remaining members of the council decided to keep the Kremlin with the Polish garrison settled in it under siege until the Second Home Guard approached.

Problems followed one after another. The Poles, after a long siege, took Smolensk, the Crimean Tatars ravaged the Ryazan region, the Swedes turned from allies into enemies - Novgorod fell under their onslaught. And in December, Pskov was already captured by the third False Dmitry ... Soon, the entire north-west of Russia recognized another impostor.

The second militia arose in September 1611 in Nizhny Novgorod. It was based on the peasants of the northern and central regions of Russia, as well as the townspeople. It was headed by the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo headman Kuzma Minin. He was supported first by the townspeople, and then by all the rest - service people (military) and governors, the clergy, the city council. Archpriest Savva delivered a sermon at a general gathering of townspeople, and then Minin himself called on fellow citizens to liberate the country from the invaders. Inspired by his speech, the townspeople decided that every resident of Nizhny Novgorod and the county would transfer part of his property to the maintenance of the "military people". Minin was entrusted with the distribution of income - trust in him was one hundred percent.

For military leadership, he invited Prince Pozharsky. It was hard to come up with a better candidate - the nobleman was a Rurikovich, in 1608 he defeated the troops of False Dmitry II, remained faithful to the Moscow tsars, and in March 1611 took part in the battle for Moscow, where he was seriously wounded. The people of Nizhny Novgorod liked it and personal qualities: the prince was an honest, disinterested, fair person, and he made deliberate and rational decisions. A delegation from Nizhny Novgorod went to Pozharsky, who was healing his wounds, at his estate 60 km away several times - but the prince, according to the etiquette of those times, invariably refused and agreed only when Archimandrite Theodosius came to him. There was only one condition - Pozharsky was ready to cooperate only with Kuzma Minin, whom he unconditionally trusted in economic affairs.

Pozharsky arrived in Nizhny Novgorod at the end of October 1611. Quite quickly, he managed to increase the number of militias from 750 to 3,000 people - service people from Smolensk, Vyazma and Dorogobuzh joined the ranks of the liberators. They immediately began to pay salaries - from 30 to 50 rubles a year. Upon learning of this, the Ryazan, Kolomna, Cossacks and archers from the outlying cities began to join the militia.

The good organization of work (both with money and with people) quickly led to the fact that the Second Militia - more precisely, the Council of the whole earth created by him - became the "center of power" along with the Moscow "seven boyars" and the Cossack freemen of Zarutsky and Trubetskoy. At the same time, the new leaders, unlike the leaders of the First Militia, clearly knew what they wanted from the very beginning. In a December letter addressed to the population of Vologda, they wrote that they wanted to put an end to civil strife, clean up Moscow State from enemies and not to commit arbitrariness.

The militia left Nizhny Novgorod at the end of February 1612. Having reached Reshma, Pozharsky learned that Pskov, Trubetskoy and Zarutsky swore allegiance to False Dmitry III (the fugitive monk Isidore was hiding under his name). As a result, it was decided to temporarily stop in Yaroslavl. Ancient city became the capital of the militia.

Here the militia lingered until July 1612. In Yaroslavl, the Council of the Whole Land was finally formed, it included representatives of noble families - Dolgoruky, Kurakins, Buturlins, Sheremetevs, but it was still headed by Pozharsky and Minin. Kuzma was illiterate, so the prince "had a hand" for him. For the publication of documents of the Council - letters - the signatures of all its members were required. It is characteristic that, due to the local custom then existing, Pozharsky's signature was only the 10th, and Minin's was even the 15th.

From Yaroslavl, the militia conducted both military operations (against the Polish-Lithuanian detachments and the Cossack freemen of Zarutsky, cutting off the latter from communications), and diplomatic negotiations - they decided to pacify the Swedes by cunning, offering the king's brother the Russian throne, and the Holy Roman Empire was asked for help also in exchange for throne for the emperor's protege. Subsequently, both the Swede Karl-Philip and the German prince Maximilian were refused. In parallel, work was underway to restore order in the controlled territory and recruit new militias. As a result, the number of the Second Militia grew to 10,000 well-armed trained warriors.

The time to act has come in September (according to the new style). The 12,000-strong detachment of the Polish hetman Khodkevich tried to unblock the Polish garrison locked in the Kremlin. On September 2, the first battle of the Battle of Moscow took place: from 13 to 20 pm, the cavalry units of Pozharsky and Khodkevich fought in it. Prince Trubetskoy, who seemed to support the Second Militia, behaved strangely: having asked Pozharskaya for 500 horsemen, he did not allow them to take part in the battle and support the militias. As a result, hundreds of equestrians assigned to the prince arbitrarily left him and, together with part of Trubetskoy's Cossacks, helped Pozharsky first push the Poles back to their original positions, and then push them back to the Donskoy Monastery.

On September 3, a new battle took place. Prince Trubetskoy again chose not to intervene in the battle, as a result of which the Poles occupied an important fortified point and captured a garrison of Cossacks. The intervention of the cellar of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Avraamy Palitsyn saved the militia from defeat - he promised Trubetskoy's Cossacks that they would be paid a salary from the monastery treasury, and after that they nevertheless joined the militia.

The decisive battle took place on 4 September. The militias fought with the Poles for 14 hours. During the battle, Kuzma Minin distinguished himself - his small cavalry detachment made a daring sortie and sowed panic in the camp of Khodkevich. The scales tipped on the side of Pozharsky's army - together with Trubetskoy's Cossacks, he put the Poles to flight. The very next day, with the remnants of his army, the hetman left Moscow.

The Polish garrison remained - two detachments of colonels Strusya and Budila, defending the Kitay-Gorod area and the Kremlin. Both traitorous boyars and the future Tsar Mikhail Romanov were in the citadel. After a month-long siege, Pozharsky offered the opponents to surrender and in return promised to save their lives, but the arrogant Poles answered with a categorical refusal. On November 4, according to the new style, the militias stormed Kitay-Gorod (we celebrate this date as National Unity Day), but the Kremlin remained under the control of the invaders. Famine reigned in the Polish camp - according to eyewitnesses, the interventionists descended to cannibalism. On November 5, they finally surrendered. Budila's troops were captured by Pozharsky, and the prince, as promised, spared their lives. Strusya's detachment was captured by the Cossacks - and they massacred all the Poles to the last. On November 6, 1612, after a solemn prayer service, the troops of Prince Pozharsky entered the city to the sound of bells with banners and banners. Moscow was liberated.

In January 1613, the first ever all-estate Zemsky Sobor was held in Moscow - it was attended by representatives of all classes, including the peasantry. The candidacies of foreign pretenders to the Russian throne - the Polish prince Vladislav, the Swede Karl Philip and others - were rejected. The delegates were also not interested in the "funnel" - the son of Marina Mnishek and False Dmitry II Ivan. But none of the eight "Russian" candidates, including Pozharsky himself, found full support either. As a result, the audience voted for a “compromise” option - the son of the influential Patriarch Filaret, Mikhail Romanov. The election that marked the beginning of a new dynasty took place on February 7, 1613.

The Time of Troubles in Russia, however, is not yet over. The new tsar had to deal with the rebellious ataman Zarutsky, the Swedes and the 20,000-strong detachment of Poles, who, together with the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, besieged Moscow in 1618.

Until 1640, the hero of the Time of Troubles, Prince Pozharsky, faithfully served as the Romanovs - Mikhail Fedorovich and Alexei Mikhailovich entrusted him with the most responsible affairs.

The results of the Troubles were heavy. Moscow state for 100 s extra years lost access to the Baltic, for several decades - the strategic fortress of Smolensk. The number of plowed lands decreased by 20 times, the number of peasants capable of working on it - by 4 times. Many cities - for example, Veliky Novgorod - were completely ruined. But the most important result was still with a plus sign - Rus', in the conditions of external aggression and internal turmoil, retained its independence.

This holiday, which was revived in the country relatively recently, is still puzzling for some people, because they do not know what the celebration is about. It was established in honor of the liberation of Moscow from Polish intervention in the 17th century. This is an official holiday, which replaced the seventh of November, which lost given status. It is a symbol of national unity and is celebrated by all citizens of the Russian Federation. Now it is becoming more and more popular, gradually restoring its former fame.

history of the holiday

The date is connected with the distant events of the 17th century, when Polish invaders annoyed Moscow. One of the impetuses to popular indignation was the murder of Patriarch Hermogenes by the Poles, who called for a rebuff to foreigners. In 1611, the headman Kuzma Minin called for the creation of a militia. Prince Dmitry Pozharsky of Novgorod became the chief voivode. The threat then was serious - the Poles insisted on the recognition of a sovereign of foreign origin on the Russian throne, enlisting the support of the boyars. But the militias, which consisted of representatives of all classes and peoples, liberated the country, taking Kitai-gorod by storm and demonstrating an example of the unity of the people.

In 1649, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich designated November 4 as the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, with which the liberators entered Moscow. Under the USSR, the holiday was canceled, considering it religious. It was revived only in 2004, when it was necessary to completely remove the parallels with the anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution, which was celebrated on November 7th. Therefore, this holiday can hardly be called new - it was first celebrated many years ago. Moreover, the main characters of those were remembered for a very long time, even Peter I spoke warmly about Kuzma Minin, calling him "the savior of the Fatherland."

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 at all, but a return to an old tradition.

National Unity Day
Celebrated in November.
This is our Russian holiday,
revered in the country.

From popular unity
Let our power grow stronger.
If the state is strong -
We can't all fall apart together.

national unity day,
Nice holiday for people.
Happy National Unity Day
Congratulations soon.

That in unity is our strength,
Know, always remember.
Whole to be Russia,
To be proud of the city.

To be proud of grandchildren, children,
To remember that
What thanks to the unity
Until now, we all live.

Today we congratulate everyone on National Unity Day and want to remind you that despite our differences, together we are strong and we are united by love, friendship, true values! We wish you a warm welcome and a happy holiday!

National Unity Day
The whole country celebrates
May the weather be clear
And spring blooms in my soul.

Let friends, relatives
Always help out in trouble
Only laughter and joy will be
And you are lucky in everything!

Happy National Unity Day!
Happiness, joy, kindness,
Cheerful and mutual feelings,
And spiritual warmth.

The brightest impressions
And positive events
So that with a great mood
Live successfully and actively!

Happy National Unity Day!
Let the whole country rejoice
Let life be filled with meaning
Be happy, be honest.

Let today be closer
A dream come true,
Days are clearer, and goals are higher
In a world full of beauty!

We congratulate you on the holiday
Be friendly and united
Everywhere and always, every day, every hour,
Because together we are invincible.

Don't forget family and friends
Gather around more often.
Whatever happens on your way
You remain faithful.

On Unity Day we wish
Prosperity to all powers.
Smile at the people you meet
And be kind to each other!

Together, after all, it is always more convenient -
The world will become better.
Let happiness reign around
Friendship will unite everyone!

Russia unites everyone
Many people live in it.
We congratulate you on unity,
What is the native people celebrating!

We want to share the joy
And wisdom for the good of all.
May happiness happen to everyone
And luck and success awaits!

Unity is power and strength
And this is a lot for the country.
So let's all be one
Everyone is happy and everyone is equal!

Congratulations on Unity Day,
And I wish that in life
There were better unions
Without stress and burden.

May all your unity
Give new achievements
And luck is near
Helps where needed!

Spirit of unity, brotherhood, freedom,
Let him live - not minutes, but years,
If we will always be united,
Then - about grief, let's forget the enemies!

For our united Russia,
For power, glory and strength,
We will stand as a strong wall,
Keep the flag of Russia worthy!

Many years ago great writer Saltykov-Shchedrin, through the mouth of one of his characters, substantiated the need for two obligatory holidays in Russia. The first, celebrated in the spring, was supposed to prepare the people for future difficulties and hardships, while the second, autumn, served as a reminder of the troubles suffered. And if for the time being the Maslenitsa and Easter festivities successfully coped with the role of the first holiday for a couple, anticipating the spring fodder and heavy agricultural work, then in the fall, despite the presence of many days revered by the church, there was no such national holiday.

The prerequisites for the emergence of the autumn all-Russian festival appeared in Rus' at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. It was the so-called Time of Troubles, when the very foundations of Russian statehood were shaken. The death of Ivan IV and the suppression of the dynasty caused a deep national-state crisis. The appearance of numerous impostors, popular uprisings, foreign intervention brought the Russian people to the point that no one really knew where to run and who to lean against. The country was threatened with complete disintegration and ruin.

As usual, in such a situation, a hero simply had to appear, who would undertake to clear up all this bunch of problems. In this case, there were two heroes - the first was the Nizhny Novgorod trade head Kuzma Minin, who called for the organization of a people's militia and solved the issue of its material support, the second was the local prince Dmitry Pozharsky, who was persuaded to lead this militia. They succeeded, and on October 22, 1612 (according to the old style), the Polish invaders were asked to leave Moscow. Under the muzzle of militia cannons, the Poles were forced to accept an urgent offer.

The legend says that Prince Pozharsky entered the city with the icon of the Kazan Mother of God, which was subsequently transferred to the Kazan Cathedral built through the efforts of the prince. But only 37 years after the significant events, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich established the date of October 22 as the day of the Kazan Icon. Mother of God, which has become both a church and a state holiday in Russia. It symbolized the unification of the people over class and property barriers, was an important link in Russian national identity.

The holiday gained popularity among the people, although gradually its original meaning faded into the background. Among the working people employed in the seasonal industry, this day meant the end construction works and settlement with the owner. There was even a saying: “On the Kazan purse, the owner is losing weight, and the worker is getting fat.” Returning workers were greeted with festivities, beer was brewed everywhere, merchants were animated in anticipation of profits, arranging markets and fairs. However, the clergy did not allow the people to completely forget the history of this day, reminding them of it during the service. And such an idyll lasted until 1917 ...

After the abolition of all vestiges of the past by the new government, Kazanskaya was preserved only as a religious holiday, not advertised anywhere and observed only by believers, whose number gradually decreased. It was not customary to mark the dates of the history of the damned tsarist time, but the need for a holiday for the fall has not disappeared. The day of the Great October Revolution turned out to be very successful, and the difference with the previous one was only three days. Perhaps those who established the new holiday read the already mentioned Saltykov-Shchedrin and remembered that this day, in his interpretation, differed from weekdays by reinforced marches. The idea took root, and the columns of troops in the squares, coupled with demonstrations of slightly intoxicated hard workers, became an indispensable attribute of November 7th.

Time passed, the country changed, and by the end of the 20th century to mention October revolution became out of fashion. November 7th was renamed the Day of Reconciliation and Consent, without really explaining who should be agreed with and what to reconcile with. However, in this form it did not last long and was canceled in 2005. It was decided to return to the old holiday, which was supposed to be celebrated on November 4, taking into account the 13-day difference between the Gregorian and Julian chronologies. The name was invented for him "Day of National Unity" and included in the number of Days of Military Glory of Russia.

The people in Russia at first reacted to the new old holiday, as they say, “no way”, perceiving it only as an attempt to replace the very popular November 7th. Many were dissatisfied with the fact that under the USSR they were given two days to celebrate, and now one. However, the emerging trend to “fasten” the coming weekend to the holidays somewhat smoothed this dissatisfaction. Nevertheless, opinion polls 2005 showed that two-thirds of Russians are not happy with such a transfer and even find it difficult to remember the name of the solemn day. But the holiday was accepted with a bang by the nationalist forces, who timed their all-Russian “Russian March” to coincide with it.

The situation needed to be urgently changed, and all measures were taken to popularize the Day of National Unity. The main role in this belonged to the mass media workers, who in the press and television programs explained to the population the essence of the holiday, introduced them to the half-forgotten history of Russia. Various shows and concerts were organized in the cities, religious processions in which heads of local administrations were strongly encouraged to participate. A film was made about the events of those times, enthusiastic reenactors staged demonstration performances imitating the battles of the Time of Troubles. This gave success - in just four years, almost half (45%) of the respondents knew what they were walking in honor of today.

IN last years the holiday began to enjoy more and more people's love. Like several decades ago, at the beginning of November, cities and villages are colored with bright flags and banners, only their color has changed. Thousands of people take to the streets to take part in processions and demonstrations under the slogan "We are one". An obligatory solemn reception is held in the Kremlin Palace, during which awards are presented to those who have made efforts to strengthen the Russian statehood, prosperity and development of our country. Well, ubiquitous concerts of creative teams - how could it be without them. A good tradition, founded four centuries ago, continues ...