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Orthodox religious holiday
Tatiana Day
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Official name
| День студенчества (Students Day)
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Also called
| Students Day, Tatyana's Day
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Observed by
| Eastern Orthodox Church, Russia
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Significance
| Public holiday, Orthodox feast day, name day
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Date
| 25 January
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Frequency
| Annual
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Tatiana Day
(
Russian
:
Татьянин день
,
Tatyanin den
'
), also known as
Tatyana's Day
or
Students Day
, is named after
Saint Tatiana
, a
Christian
martyr
in 3rd-century
Rome
during the
reign
of
Emperor
Alexander Severus
. It is also the
name day
for the name
Tatiana
.
[1]
The
Russian Orthodox Church
celebrates St. Tatiana's feast on 12 January Julian, which corresponds to 25 January Gregorian in the 20th and 21st centuries. In
Russia
, the day is known as Students Day, commemorating the end of the winter university exams session.
Background
[
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]
On 12 January 1755 Julian (23 January 1755 Gregorian),
Empress Elizabeth
of Russia signed a decree for the establishment of the
first Russian university
, which was constructed in
Moscow
and put under the care of the first Russian Minister of Education
Ivan Shuvalov
(that day was his mother's name day).
[2]
In 1791, the Church of Saint Tatiana was built in the university campus,
[3]
and the
Russian Orthodox Church
declared Saint Tatiana the
patron saint
of
students
.
[4]
Tatiana Day has come to be celebrated as
Students Day
in countries of the former Russian empire. The observance has a long tradition of festive activities and celebrations. In 1885,
Chekhov
wrote about Tatiana Day, "This year everything was drunk, except the water from the Moscow river, and only because it was frozen".
[2]
The day begins with a traditional service conducted at the University's church
[
citation needed
]
followed by speeches and the awarding of prizes. Later in the day, many students host or attend parties and public events.
[5]
Although originating in Moscow, St. Tatiana's Day celebrations have spread to most university towns.
[6]
Tatiana Day also coincides with the end of the first term of the traditional
academic year
for Russian students, so the holiday also functions as a day of celebration for the completion of final exams.
[7]
References
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]
External links
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]