National Unity Day – 2025: History and November weekend

In a little less than two weeks, Russians will have a long weekend. For more information about National Unity Day, see the Izvestia article.

What date is National Unity Day celebrated in Russia?

National Unity Day is celebrated annually on November 4. This date is set by federal law and does not change. In 2025, the holiday will fall on a Tuesday. According to the production calendar, November 4 has been declared a non-working day across the country.

The holiday has had a weekend status since the 2000s. Then Vladimir Putin signed a decree. November 4 became National Unity Day, and November 7 received the status of a memorable date — the Day of the October Revolution of 1917.

A brief history of the holiday

National Unity Day is dedicated to the key events of the early 17th century, when Russia went through a Time of Troubles — a period of strife, intervention and struggle for independence. On November 4, 1612, the people's militia led by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin liberated Moscow from the Polish invaders, putting an end to the Troubles.

In 1613, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich established a church-state holiday in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God — October 22, old style. The date of liberation from the interventionists was officially celebrated before the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917.

In modern Russia, the idea to establish a holiday originated in the 2000s. In 2004, the Interreligious Council of Russia proposed to celebrate November 4 as the day of unity of all the peoples of the country. The law was passed on December 29, 2004, and since 2005 the holiday has become official, replacing November 7 (October Revolution Day).

November Weekend – 2025

In 2025, National Unity Day will give Russians a big weekend off. According to the production calendar approved by Rostrud, the schedule looks like this:

November 1 (Saturday) — shortened working day;

November 2 (Sunday) is a day off;

November 3 (Monday) is a public holiday;

November 4 (Tuesday) is a public holiday, an official day off.

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