This figure has been consistently high over the years: 63 percent of Russian citizens celebrated Victory Day last year, 75 percent in 20 and as many as 80 percent in 1995.ħ6 percent of the population are planning to celebrate it this year. In comparison, Unity Day is celebrated by approximately 20 percent of Russians and the anniversary of the Great October Revolution – by 12 percent. Of public holidays, only New Year’s Eve is celebrated by a larger proportion of Russian citizens – 95-96 percent. Moreover, in 2016, Victory Day and the related Immortal Regiment march, as well as the May 9 th military parade on Moscow’s Red Square, were listed as three major May events (mentioned by 48 percent, 28 percent and 26 percent of respondents, respectively, in response to an open-ended question).īut what does it mean to ”celebrate” Victory Day? The majority of the population routinely watch TV coverage of the military parade which takes place on Red Square in Moscow, reminiscent of the 1945 Victory Parade. 65-67 percent of Russians glare at TV screens for an hour on this day every year, no matter where they are (at home or at their dacha). And nearly every viewer questioned stated that they “liked the parade very much”. On May 9 th, nearly half of the population wear a St. George’s ribbon which began to symbolize this holiday 5-6 years ago. The ribbons bear stripes which are the same colors of highly-coveted military decorations awarded by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Incidentally, few in Russia associate the colors of the St. George’s ribbon with the events in eastern Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.Īnother important symbol of May 9 th is the Immortal Regiment March which has gone ahead for the last three years. Up to 25 percent of the population of the country are willing to participate in it (and 76 percent approve of this march).
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