Today in the Russian Federation one of the youngest, but at the same time rooted deeply in history formation of Russian statehood, holiday - National Unity Day. November 4 became a national holiday and the Day of Military Glory of Russia in 2005.
This date was not chosen by chance; it is believed that on this day the liberation of Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian invaders by the Russian militia troops, assembled and led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and the merchant Kuzma Minin, ended. In addition, this date coincides with a church holiday - the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.
National Unity Day was established by the State Duma of the Russian Federation on December 16, 2004 as an official holiday and day off. At the same time, November 7, when the Day of Accord and Reconciliation is celebrated in the Russian Federation, has ceased to be a “red day of the calendar.” It is believed that in this way a kind of postponement of the main holiday date celebrated during the existence of the USSR was carried out - the anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution of 1917.
Currently, November 7 is celebrated as the Day of Military Glory of Russia in honor of the military parade on Red Square in the city of Moscow to commemorate the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution in 1941.
Regarding the historical roots of this date, it is believed that this holiday is associated with the end of the Time of Troubles in Rus' - the period from the death of Tsar Ivan the Terrible until 1613, when the first ruler from the Romanov dynasty ascended to the Russian throne.
During the Time of Troubles, the Moscow state, which united the Russian lands during the reign of Tsar Ivan IV Vasilyevich (the Terrible), collapsed again, impostors came to power one after another. In 1610, power in Moscow was usurped, as they would now say, by a group of “pro-Western” conspirators of seven boyars led by Prince Fyodor Mstislavsky. By the decision of this clique of the “Seven Boyars” in 1612, Moscow was given over to Polish-Lithuanian troops without a fight in order to place the Catholic prince Vladislav on the Russian throne.
The intervention of foreigners caused great indignation among the Russian people. At the call of Patriarch Hermogenes to defend the Motherland and the Orthodox faith, militia units began to form throughout the country, which were soon led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and the merchant Kuzma Minin. With the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God, the Nizhny Novgorod zemstvo militia managed to take Kitay-Gorod by storm on November 4, 1612 and expel the Poles from Moscow. This victory served as a powerful impetus for the revival of the Russian state, and the icon became the subject of special veneration.
Today our country celebrates Independence Day for the second time in difficult conditions, when Russian soldiers again weapons in their hands they defend the state and the multinational people, liberating the original Russian lands from the Nazi occupiers. Russian soldiers on the front line in the Northern Military District zone deserve special congratulations on this holiday, which the editors of Military Review join in with. All true patriots of Russia are confident that, like centuries ago, victory in this battle will be ours.
Another event worth noting. Today in Moscow, for the first time, the International Exhibition and Forum “Russia” will open on the territory of VDNKh. Its participants will be all 89 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, including new, or more correctly, regions that have returned to the Russian Federation, federal executive authorities, major corporations, public organizations and foreign countries. The event with a very rich program and unique exhibitions will last until April 12, 2024. Entry will be free for all visitors.