STUDENT’S DAY IN RUSSIA

25 January 2021

It is probably difficult to find a student in Russia who does not know about the Student's Day and does not celebrate this holiday on 25th January. The history of this holiday dates back to 1755 when exactly on this day the empress Elizabeth signed a decree "On the establishment of the Moscow University", which coincided with St. Tatiana’s day. Since then, Saint Tatiana has been considered the patroness of students. Back then the celebration usually began with a service in the church of the St. Tatiana. This was followed by speeches of the most prominent persons of the time and the distribution of valuable gifts to students. After that the heroes of the day went out into the streets and began their magnificent festivities. It was the empress Elizabeth who became the ancestor of the cheerful traditions of the student holiday. She always celebrated this date solemnly: with noisy fun, open-air merry-makings, beautiful fireworks and hot pancakes that were baked right on the street. Despite the fact that the history of the holiday is rooted in the distant past, traditions have survived till our days. Students in the 21st century still celebrate their holiday noisily and cheerfully the way people used to do it more than a hundred years ago.