Russia
Day is a national holiday in the
Russian Federation celebrated annually on June 12. In accordance with the
Russian Labor Code, it is an official public holiday.
Declaration of State
Sovereignty
On June 12, 1990, the 1st
Congress of People’s Deputies of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist
Republic (RSFSR, part of the Soviet Union) adopted the Declaration of State
Sovereignty of the RSFSR. The document declared the primacy of the Constitution
and the laws of the Russian republic over the Soviet Union’s legislation,
establishing equal rights for all citizens, political parties and
non-governmental organizations, the principle of separation of powers into
three branches, namely the legislative, executive and judicial and the
necessity to substantially expand the rights of the regions. The document also
stated that the Declaration is the basis to frame a new constitution. In all,
907 deputies voted to adopt the document, 13 voted against it, while 9
abstained. Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet Boris Yeltsin signed
the Declaration.
Holiday established
On June 11, 1992, the Supreme
Soviet of Russia published a decree designating June 12 as a public holiday. On
September 25, 1992, the corresponding amendments were introduced into the
Russian Labor Code.
Holiday’s history in Russia
On Russia Day, the country
traditionally holds holiday concerts, mass open air celebrations and sports
events.
On June 12, 1995, the holiday
was celebrated for the first time. The first ceremony of awarding the State
Prizes (introduced in 1992-1993) in science and technology, literature and the
arts was held in the Kremlin on that day. In later years, the State Prize
awarding ceremonies on June 12 became a tradition. The holiday also received
the unofficial title of "Independence Day." This wording has
never been used in the official documents, but can be seen in the media,
appears on placards and banners.
In
1998, then Russian President Boris Yeltsin proposed calling this day "Day
of Adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of RSFSR" — Russia Day
— in his address to the nation broadcasted by the main TV channels. However,
the holiday was officially renamed only on February 1, 2002, when the new Labor
Code came into force with all the official public holidays set out.
Since 2001, Russia Day has
been celebrated with fireworks in Moscow and in other cities around the
country.
In 2014, Russia Day was
celebrated for the first time in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. On this
day, the All-Russian Five Stars young performers contest was held in Yalta. In
Sevastopol, the holiday coincided with celebrations on the occasion of the
231st anniversary of the city's foundation.
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