November 4. Traditions come back?
For the third time Russia is going to celebrate National Unity Day. A holiday, though actually and succeeded November “ to red days “ the Soviet era, but bearing absolutely other semantic loading.
What occurred this day nearly four hundred years ago? What events preceded this victory and what it mattered for further development of Russia? We will also try to understand it.
In 1598 the death of not left behind successor tsar Fedor Ivanovich, the eldest son Ivan the Terrible, announces the termination of a dynasty of Ryurik dynasty. The younger son of Ivan IV nicknamed Grozny Dmitry, died several years before, under the circumstances which are not found out up to the end to this day. This death also served as the beginning of a series of the events called in the history of Russia - the Time of Troubles.
For the next fifteen years the Russian people were in a condition of civil war, the first in the history of Russia. Tsars self-appointed and “ vykriknuty “ the semiboyarshchina, national revolts and a diarchy, polsko - the Lithuanian and Swedish occupations, dissociation of the people, hunger, dissociation of church and decline of culture, passed the Moscow Russia these vague years through everything...
And only on November 4 (on October 22 on old style) 1612 - the city, restoration of the state integrity of Russia began defeat of the garrison which sat down at fortress China. The army of a national militia under the leadership of the merchant Kuzma Minin and the prince Pozharsky uniting representatives of all estates, nationalities and faiths brought this a victory, important for all people of Russia. This day Russians, Tatars, Udmurts, Chuvashs and many other people directed by feeling of national advantage and a personal obligation made the first, but very important step in restoration of the Russian statehood.
The beginning of a new imperial dynasty of Romanov, Ivan Susanin`s feat, Kuzma Minin`s death, conclusion of peace with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the end of civil war and the Time of Troubles - all in the future. But without modest victory of this day - the future for Russia could not be …
Why nearly four centuries later it is decided to celebrate this day as a public holiday? Adoption of such decision is caused by requirement to find replacement to the distressful November celebration several times changing in recent years the name, but which did not fit into modern Russian reality. Day of the fight which happened on November 4, as well as possible, considering extreme undesirability of essential transfer of the day off in an annual cycle, approached for this purpose. Moreover, earlier this day was celebrated as the All-Russian holiday in honor of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God. The icon which was in a militia and became a victory symbol. The termination of celebration of this day happened only after events of 1917.
We only begin to get used to this holiday, and there is a wish that it became for the people of Russia not day of opposition of orthodox and Catholic church, not a Victory Day of Russia over the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and a symbol of a unification and revival of the nation. The nation which managed to overcome not so much the external interventionists who are tearing apart Russia on part, how many internal enemies. Enemies in an appearance of Semiboyarshchina ready to sell the people for the personal benefits to foreigners, tsars - the impostors bearing with themselves religion alien to orthodox Russia and ruin, the robbers using the weakened statehood for the mercenary purposes. It is holiday of return of traditions of the people which won internal dissociation and found forces to rally in the face of the danger of death threatening to affect not only on further development of Russia, but also on the fact of its existence.