День российского студенчества (Den’ rassiyskava studenchestva) or “Russian Students’ Day,” also called Tatiana Day, is a day of great celebration among Russian youth. Not only does this day mark the end of the first school term (and therefore the end of finals!), it also holds great historical significance and is filled with lavish parties.

As is true for all Russian holidays, learning about Tatiana Day in Russia will provide you with great insight into Russian culture and history. Find out more about the origins of Russian Students’ Day and how this holiday’s celebrated in Russia with RussianPod101.com!

1. What is Russian Students’ Day?

Considering how many Russian holidays and celebrations there are, what makes Tatiana Day so important?

Students’ Day in Russia seeks to commemorate and celebrate the day in 1775 that Empress Elizabeth officially allowed a petition to go through for the development of a university in Moscow (this was the first-ever Russian university). Ivan Shuvalov initially began this petition, as Russia’s then-Minister of Education.

Not long after this event, a church (namely the Church of St. Tatiana) was built on the campus of this university, thus giving this Russian holiday its name.

For this reason, it’s thought that St.Tatiana is a “patron saint” of Russian students, meaning that she fully approves, oversees, and protects them throughout the country.

This holiday also serves as a reflection of how important both education and religion are to Russia and its people. (Soon we’ll see how partying and fun play into this as well.)

2. Russia Students’ Day Date

Each year, Russians celebrate Russian Students’ Day on “January 25” or 25 января (25 yanvarya).

3. How is Tatiana Day in Russia Celebrated?

This Russian holiday’s celebrated all over Russia, though previously it was only celebrated in Moscow. For Russians, this is a Выходной (vykhadnoy) or “day off,” especially for students who worked and studied hard during the first school term. While it’s celebration does resemble other Russian holidays and traditions, it does have its unique facets.

Russian Students’ Day is celebrated by attending a large ceremony at the St. Tatiana church at the Moscow State University. This ceremony often involves singing by a choir.

Afterward, however, is when the real fun begins.

Many Russian students use this day to throw a Вечеринка (vecherinka) or “party,” especially in bars or restaurants. As you can guess, there’s also a lot of drinking; it’s even expected and therefore local authorities let it slide. (Completing finals week is definitely worthy of a few drinks, wouldn’t you agree?)

Another fascinating aspect of this holiday is the lighting of the symbolic чаша знаний (chasha znaniy) or “cup of knowledge” at the Lomonosov Monument. When evening arrives, Russians celebrate Tatiana Day with a lovely and colorful fireworks display. Nice way to end the occasion, we think!

4. Additional Information

This Russian holiday, along with being a celebration for students and regarding education, is a day to honor the St. Tatiana. Due to the greatness of St. Tatiana, many parents name their female children after her, and so this Russian holiday has also become a special day for those named Tatiana. Some people refer to this as a “name day.”

5. Must-Know Vocab for Russian Students’ Day

• Ученик (uchenik) — “Student” [masc.]
• Январь (yanvar‘) — “January”
• Общежитие (apshchezhytiye) — “Dormitory”
• Университет (universitet) — “University”
• Студент (student) — “University student” [masc.]
• Студентка (studentka) — “University student” [fem.]
• День российского студенчества (Den’ rassiyskava studenchestva) — “Russian Students’ Day”
• Вечеринка (vecherinka) — “Party”
• Выходной (vykhadnoy) — “Day off”
• 25 января (25 yanvarya) — “January 25th”
• Татьянин день (Tat’yanin den’) — “Tatiana Day”
• Однокурсник (adnakursnik) — “Classmate” [masc.]
• Oднокурсница (adnakursnitsa) — “Classmate” [fem.]

If you would like to hear each word pronounced, be sure to visit our Tatiana Day in Russia vocabulary list. Each vocabulary word here is accompanied by an audio file for your convenience.

Conclusion

We’ve covered the basics of Russian Students’ Day, as well as the most important vocabulary related to this holiday. We hope you had fun learning this little aspect of Russia’s culture and found our article insightful.

If you want to learn even more, be sure to visit us at RussianPod101.com! We offer vocabulary lists on multiple topics, insightful blog posts, and even have an online community where you can discuss what you’re learning with fellow Russian language-learners. And if you prefer a more one-on-one approach to learning, you can download our MyTeacher app and get the best possible learning experience!

Be sure to brush up on your Russian culture knowledge as well, and we know you’ll be speaking like a well-cultured native before you know it. Also keep in mind that we’re going to be publishing more Russian holiday posts soon!

Until next time, we’re wishing you the best in all your language-learning endeavors.