The Time of Confusing Holidays

[alexandral]

EEEEEEEEEEEEE! My dearest family is back!!!! Mr. Alexander made some glorious photographs of the surrounding scenery that just ask to be posted soon. We went to see a shiny fireworks display yesterday in our park for the upcoming Guy Fawkes Day.

I must say that this time of year is The Time of Confusing Holidays for me. It all started from :

a)

Comments

[nutmeg3]

Hurray! for the return of your nearest and dearest. And I had to LOL at your Halloween fright. It's become so commercialized here that it's pretty impossible to forget.

[alexandral]

Hee! I am not used to Halloween, you see. :D Here it is very popular too, but so is Gay Fawkes day. I don't usually take Sasha trick-or-treating and Mr. Alexander is of "this is commericalized nonsense" school of thought, so I tend to forget. :D But I hope you had a nice holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nutmeg3]

My sister and I IM all night competing to see who gets the most trick-or-treaters. This year I won, 26 to 25. I overbought on candy, though, so I took the extra to the zoo this morning.

[alexandral]

WOOOOOOOOW! 26 sounds awesome!!! I only had one group knocking this year, last yer we were away but I don't ever rememebr more than 3 groups. The difference in popularity is dramatic! (Or may be everyone knows how nice you are!!!)

[elec3nity]

I wonder what does the National Unity day mean??? They say on Wiki that only 25% of Russians know the name of this holiday.

Well, officially it mean all that stuff about November 4, 1612 from Wiki, but...it's more like Anything but the Russian October Revolution Day. They simply decided not to deprive people of the traditional hollidays, even if they no longer have a reason. It sounds stupid. Well, and it is a stupid idea. )

[alexandral]

I totally agree with "silly idea". It is like people have a day of holidays which doesn't have any meaning to them and the majority still remembers the October Revolution Day. I guess it will become better with time, unless some other President of Russia removes it completely.

23rd of February also has strange history, but at least people know that they are having fun. This is similar to Halloween which originally was a Celtic day for when "all dead roam about", but later it got merged with All Saints Day and now it is really confusing to say what does everyone celebrate but everyone is having fun with undead and candy.

[elec3nity]

I guess it will become better with time, unless some other President of Russia removes it completely.

And I hope the same President will remove Lenin's body from the Red Square, because this problem is much more serious than meaningless hollidays.

23rd of February also has strange history, but at least people know that they are having fun.

May I continue? - 1st of May, 8th of March...and we also celebrate Halloween & St. Valentine's Day. Pretty cool, isn't it? :D

[alexandral]

And I hope the same President will remove Lenin's body from the Red Square, because this problem is much more serious than meaningless hollidays.

O, I didn't realise he is still there. ** brr **

May I continue? - 1st of May, 8th of March...and we also celebrate Halloween & St. Valentine's Day. Pretty cool, isn't it? :D

This is a good mix, true. :D 8th of March is remembered here in UK too, I think it had a good meaning originally.

[teh_haley]

I'm glad they're back, can't wait to see some pics soon :)
Uhm, since when I started studying English as a subject at school, I had known about Guy Fawkes, I've been thinking it was the most common fall holiday generally, but then even European started showing all that hype about Halloween, and I forgot it. Btw, Italy doesn't officially celebrate Halloween, just All Saints' day, maybe it's because we (they, heh) are catholic!

[alexandral]

Yes, Halloween hype seems to be on the increase. I find it very confusing that it is somehow mixed with the All Saints Day too. (Halloween means All Hallows Ween or All Saints Day), the name for the original Celtic holiday was Samhain.

[trailer_spot]

November 1st is a public holiday here, All Saints Day. Even if you're not religious you often look after the graves of your relatives either on that day or in the days before.

[alexandral]

Oh, interesting. In Russian traditions the looking after your dead relatives day was the week after Easter's Tuesday (as far as I can remember, i am getting hazy) which is called Parent's day or something of the sort.