Building the Nation Through Celebrating the Nation: A Comparison of Holidays in Russia’s Regions

Abstract

Holidays can unite a population under the regime’s national narrative, thereby enhancing regime support. In Russia, there are all-Russia holidays and regional holidays, leading to potential variation in their nation-building capacity. Using media coverage and observations from fieldwork in Tatarstan (2014, 2016) and Karelia (2015–2016), I compare how regional governments, public figures, and citizens support and celebrate holidays in each case. When Moscow has firm control over the form and message of the spectacles across the regions, holidays can be an effective nation-building tool. When divergent narratives arise, holidays become less effective and provide openings for competitive nation-building.

Notes

1 Author’s observation, Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2015–2016.

2 ‘Vserossiiskaya perepis’ naseleniya’, 2010, available at: http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/perepis_itogi1612.htm, accessed 28 March 2015.

3 Based on an anonymous interview in Petrozavodsk, 2016.

4 The Levada Centre administered my survey in August 2016 in Karelia, Tatarstan, Buryatia, Murmansk, Samara, and Irkutsk. N = 1,406.

5 ‘“Russkii marsh” i shestvie “my ediny!”’, Levada Centre, 24 November 2015, available at: https://www.levada.ru/2015/11/24/russkij-marsh-i-shestvie-my-ediny /, accessed 1 June 2018.

6 ‘Mnogotysyachnyi miting proshel v Moskve v Den’ narodnogo edinstva’, Life, 4 November 2015, available at: https://life.ru/t/новости/168053, accessed 1 October 2016; ‘Den’ narodnogo edinstva v Kazani’, Kazan Argumenty i Fakty, 4 November 2015, available at: http://www.kazan.aif.ru/society/details/den_narodnogo_edinstva_v_kazani#id=7265105, accessed 1 October 2016.

7 Author’s observation, Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 4 November 2015.

8 ‘Aleksandr Khudilainen pozdravil zhitelei Karelii s dnem narodnogo edinstva’, Respublika Kareliya, 4 November 2015, available at: http://rk.karelia.ru/social/aleksandr-hudilajnen-pozdravil-zhitelej-karelii-s-dnem-narodnogo-edinstva/, accessed 1 October 2016.

9 Author’s observations, Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 4 November 2015.

10 Author’s observations, Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 4 November 2015.

11 ‘Aleksandr Khudilainen pozdravil zhitelei Karelii s dnem narodnogo edinstva’, Respublika Kareliya, 4 November 2015, available at: http://rk.karelia.ru/social/aleksandr-hudilajnen-pozdravil-zhitelej-karelii-s-dnem-narodnogo-edinstva/, accessed 1 October 2016.

12 ‘Forum aktivnykh grazhdan “Soobshchestvo”’, 4 November 2015, available at: http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/50631, accessed 1 October 2016.

13 ‘Rustam Minnikhanov: “Mezhnatsional'nye mir i soglasie—vysshie tsennosti i odni iz nashikh dostizhenii”’, Pravitel’stvo Respubliki Tatarstan, 4 November 2015, available at: http://prav.tatarstan.ru/rus/index.htm/news/494694.htm, accessed 1 October 2016.

14 ‘Programma prazdnovaniya 9 maya v Petrozavodske 2015’, Petrozavodsk Govorit, 8 May 2015, available at: http://ptzgovorit.ru/content/programma-prazdnovaniya-9-maya-v-petrozavodske, accessed 1 October 2016; ‘Parad Pobedy v Kazani 9 maya 2015 goda’, 9 May 2015, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQqOEZ0EJfI, accessed 1 October 2016.

15 ‘Most Memorable Events’, Levada Centre, 27 May 2015, available at: http://www.levada.ru/2015/05/27/samye-zapominayushhiesya-sobytiya-21/, accessed 1 October 2016.

16 ‘O dvizhenii’, Bessmertnyi polk Rossii, available at: https://polkrf.ru/about/, accessed 1 October 2016.

17 ‘Interv’yu telekanalu “Rossiya”’, 9 May 2015, available at: http://kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/interviews/49454, accessed 1 October 2016.

18 ‘Plan prazdnichnykh meropriyatii 9 maya na territorii Petrozavodskogo gorodskogo okruga’, Ofitsial’nyi internet-portal Respubliki Kareliya, 9 May 2015, available at: http://gov.karelia.ru/News/2015/05/0508_33.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

19 ‘Voenno-memorial’nyi kompleks “Alleya pamyati i slavy” otkryli v Petrozavodske’, Respublika Kareliya, 8 May 2015, available at: http://rk.karelia.ru/social/voenno-memorialnyj-kompleks-alleya-pamyati-i-slavy-otkryli-v-petrozavodske-fotoreportazh/, accessed 1 October 2016.

20 ‘Interv’yu telekanalu “Rossiya”’, 9 May 2015, available at: http://kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/interviews/49454, accessed 1 October 2016.

21 ‘Den’ Pobedy v Moskve: programma meropriyatii, rabota metro, perekrytiya ulits i ploshchadki dlya prosmotra salyuta’, NTV, 7 May 2015, available at: http://www.ntv.ru/novosti/1404296/, accessed 1 October 2016.

22 ‘Parad Pobedy proshel v Petrozavodske’, Respublika Kareliya, 9 May 2015, available at: http://rk.karelia.ru/social/parad-pobedy-proshel-v-petrozavodske-fotoreportazh/, accessed 1 October 2016.

23 ‘Plan prazdnichnykh meropriyatii 9 maya na territorii Petrozavodskogo gorodskogo okruga’, Respubliki Kareliya, 9 May 2015, available at: http://gov.karelia.ru/News/2015/05/0508_33.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

24 ‘Parad Pobedy v Kazani 9 maya 2015 goda’, 9 May 2015, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQqOEZ0EJfI, accessed 1 October 2016.

25 ‘Den’ goroda v Kazani-2015: programma meropriyatii’, Vechernyaya Kazan’, 27 August 2015, available at: http://www.evening-kazan.ru/news/den-goroda-v-kazani-2015-programma-meropriyatiy.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

26 ‘Den' Konstitutsii Respubliki Tatarstan’, Respublika Tatarstan: Arkhiv ofitsial’novo servera 1997–2011 gg., available at: http://1997-2011.tatarstan.ru/index.html@node_id=1456&id=45.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

27 ‘V Kazani na etoi nedele sel'skokhozyaistvennye yarmarki proidut 6 noyabrya’, TatCenter, 3 November 2015, available at: http://tatcenter.ru/article/152245/, accessed 15 July 2020.

28 ‘Naskol’ko khorosho vy znaete Konstitutsiyu Tatarstana?’, TatCenter, 11 November 2016, available at: http://tatcenter.ru/article/152069/, accessed 15 July 2020.

29 ‘Internet-temami nedeli dlya Tatarstantsev stali Den’ Konstitutsii RT, boks v Kazani i karikatury Charlie Hebdo’, Vechernyaya Kazan’, 10 November 2015, available at: http://www.evening-kazan.ru/news/internet-temami-nedeli-dlya-tatarstancev-stali-den-konstitucii-rt-boks-v-kazani-i-karikatury-charlie-hebdo.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

30 ‘Resul’taty Vyborov’, Tsentral'naya izbiratel'naya komissiya Respubliki Tatarstan, available at: http://www.tatarstan.vybory.izbirkom.ru/region/region/tatarstan?action=show&root=1&tvd=21620001325053&vrn=21620001325033&region=16&global=&sub_region=16&prver=0&pronetvd=null&vibid=21620001325053&type=234, accessed 1 October 2016.

31 ‘6 noyabrya—Den’ Konstitutsii Respubliki Tatarstan’, Tsentral’naya izbiratel’naya komissiya Respubliki Tatarstan, 5 November 2015, available at: http://izbirkom.tatarstan.ru/rus/index.htm/news/495133.htm, accessed 1 October 2016.

32 ‘Den’ Respubliki Kareliya’, Zakonodatel'noye Sobraniye Respubliki Kareliya, available at: http://karelia-zs.ru/simvolika_respublika_kareliya/flag_respubliki_kareliya/, accessed 1 October 2016.

33 ‘Glava Karelii: “Samye zavetnye mechty sbyvayutsya, kogda my sobralis’ vmeste dlya dostizheniya obshchei tseli”’, Respubliki Kareliya, 7 June 2015, available at: http://gov.karelia.ru/gov/News/2015/06/0607_02.html, accessed 1 October 2016; ‘Podrobnaya programma prazdnovaniya “Dnya Respubliki Kareliya—2015”’, Petrozavodsk Govorit, 5 June 2015, available at: http://ptzgovorit.ru/content/podrobnaya-programma-prazdnovaniya-dnya-respubliki-kareliya-2015, accessed 1 October 2016.

34 ‘Den’ Karelii v Sortavale sobral bol’she 26 tysyach chelovek’, Respublika Kareliya, 8 June 2015, available at: http://rk.karelia.ru/on-line/den-karelii-v-sortavale-sobral-bolshe-26-tysyach-chelovek/, accessed 1 October 2016.

35 38,130 as of 7 February 2017. ‘Den’ Respubliki Kareliya—95!’, YouTube, 6 June 2015, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfogdJhUGEc, accessed 1 October 2016.

36 ‘Glava Karelii: “Samye zavetnye mechty sbyvayutsya, kogda my sobralis’ vmeste dlya dostizheniya obshchei tseli”’, Respubliki Kareliya, 7 June 2015, available at: http://gov.karelia.ru/gov/News/2015/06/0607_02.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

37 ‘Glava Karelii: “Samye zavetnye mechty sbyvayutsya, kogda my sobralis’ vmeste dlya dostizheniya obshchei tseli”’, Respubliki Kareliya, 7 June 2015, available at: http://gov.karelia.ru/gov/News/2015/06/0607_02.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

38 ‘30 sentyabrya—Den’ osvobozhdeniya Karelii ot fashistskikh zakhvatchikov’, Respubliki Kareliya, 28 July 2009, available at: http://www.gov.karelia.ru/gov/News/2009/07/0728_01.html, accessed 1 October 2016.

39 ‘Dmitry Medvedev Signed an Executive Order on the Presidential Commission of the Russian Federation to Counter Attempts to Falsify History to the Detriment of Russia’s Interests’, 19 May 2009, available at: http://www.en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/4121, accessed 28 February 2021.

40 ‘V Den’ osvobozhdeniya Karelii ot fashistskikh zakhvatchikov v Natsional’noi biblioteke sostoitsya prezentatsiya ukazatelya literatury “Velikaya Otechestvennaya voina v Karelii”’, Ministerstvo Kul’tury Respubliki Kareliya, 29 September 2015, available at: http://mincultrk.ru/presscentr/novosti/novosti_otrasli/v_den_osvobozhdeniya_karelii_ot_fashistskih_zahvatchikov_v_nacionalnoj_biblioteke_sostoitsya_prezentaciya_ukazatelya_literatury/, accessed 1 October 2016.

41 ‘Kareliya otmechaet 71-yu godovshchinu osvobozhdeniya ot fashtistskikh zakhvatchikov’, KarelInform, 30 September 2015, available at: http://karelinform.ru/news/society/66959/kareliya_otmechaet_71_yu_godovschinu_osvobojdeniya_ot_fashistskih_zahvatchikov, accessed 1 October 2016.

42 ‘Glava Karelii pochital pamyat karel’skikh frontovikov v Moskve’, Respublika Kareliya, 30 September 2015, available at: http://rk.karelia.ru/social/glava-karelii-pochtil-pamyat-karelskih-frontovikov-v-moskve/, accessed 1 October 2016.

43 ‘Glava Karelii pochital pamyat karel’skikh frontovikov v Moskve’, Respublika Kareliya, 30 September 2015, available at: http://rk.karelia.ru/social/glava-karelii-pochtil-pamyat-karelskih-frontovikov-v-moskve/, accessed 1 October 2016.

44 ‘30 sentyabrya—Den’ osvobozhdeniya Karelii ot fashistskikh zakhvatchikov’, Zakonodatel’noye Sobraniye Respubliki Kareliya, 30 September 2015, available at: http://karelia-zs.ru/presssluzhba/novosti/30_sentyabrya_den_osvobozhdeniya_karelii_ot_fashistskih_zahvatchikov1/, accessed 1 October 2016.

45 Author’s observation, Petrozavodsk, 18 March 2016.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by American Councils: [grant number Combined Research and Language Training Fellowship]; Fulbright Association: [grant number U.S. Student Award]; Russian and Eastern European Institute Mellon Endowment (Indiana University): [grant number Pre-Dissertation Fellowship]; Mellon Innovating International Research, Teaching and Collaboration Graduate Dissertation Fellowship (Indiana University).

Notes on contributors

Katie L. Stewart

Katie L. Stewart, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Knox College, 2 E. South Street, K-137 Galesburg, IL 61401, USA. Email: [email protected]