The 2019 production calendar has a total of 118 holidays and weekends. Of these, 13 falls in May. Why so much? Everything is very simple. There are two official public holidays in May: Victory Day and Spring and Labor Day. The remaining 11 are regular weekends and public holidays carried over from other dates.
History of the May holidays
May 1 and May 9 have been holidays in Russia for a long time. In the Russian Empire, May Day was celebrated unofficially since 1890 as the Day of International Workers' Solidarity. It became an official holiday since 1917 and was called at first the Day of the International. Later it was renamed International Workers' Day, and in the USSR it was one of the favorites and was celebrated with demonstrations, festive processions and festivities. This was the name until 1992. Then the holiday was renamed and became the Holiday of Spring and Labor.
Only one thing can be said about Victory Day: it is truly the greatest day in the history of not only the Soviet Union, but the whole world. On May 8, 1945, the act of unconditional surrender of fascist Germany was signed, and the ninth was declared the Day of Victory over her. And now, for seven decades, the whole world has been celebrating this victory of the ninth. Peaceful demonstrations and festivities take place on this day every year.
Rest days in May 2019
Usually, the last spring month pleases working Russians with a long weekend. Indeed, there are two holidays in May, and if they coincide with Saturday or Sunday, then they are postponed to subsequent working days. But this year, the long holidays were formed due to the official postponement of days off from January 5 and 6 to May 2 and 3, and February 23 to 10. The transfer was carried out on the basis of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1163 dated 01.10.2018. Thus, it turned out to be a really long weekend in the first half of May. Of the 12 days from the beginning of the month, only two full working days fall out and one shortened by an hour. In addition, in May 2019 there will be 2 more weekends: on the 18th and 19th, on the 25th and 26th.
May Holidays Events
To make the most of your long weekend getaway, you need to plan ahead. You can spend these days with your family, do household chores, you can open the garden season or meet friends in nature. But the first and ninth are worth visiting the mass events. Demonstrations, concerts and festivities will definitely take place in every city. Peaceful processions in honor of the Spring and Labor Day are usually attended by workers with balloons, banners and flowers.
Holiday concerts are planned after the demonstrations. In Moscow, for example, the center organizes attractions for children. And in Izmailovsky Park, children will be able to watch costumed street performances based on the fairy tales "Thumbelina", "Puss in Boots" and others. All cultural institutions are involved in holding festive events and in each of them you can find an entertainment program to your liking.
On Victory Day, military parades are held in many large cities. The most grandiose parade of military equipment is usually organized in the capital. Anyone can watch its live broadcast on Russian television. The metropolitan parade can also be watched in the recording. In addition, in 2019, on the great Victory Day, an action called "Immortal Regiment" will be held. The meaning of the action is that every descendant of those who participated in the Second World War and who contributed to the victory over fascism must keep a personal memory of these people. The protesters come with portraits from their personal archives and show the whole world that they remember their ancestors.
The official date of the creation of the Immortal Regiment movement is February 4, 2014. But such processions took place long before this date and by now have become very popular. In Moscow, on Red Square, the processions began to be held in 2015. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2018 more than 10 million people throughout Russia and about one million people in Moscow took part in the Immortal Regiment action.
A large number of events are also planned for Victory Day in Moscow, which will be held in all districts of the city. It is worth noting a concert near the Bolshoi Theater. To the accompaniment of orchestral music, Russian pop stars and opera singers will perform songs of the war years. At 10 o'clock in the evening in Moscow and other cities of the country volleys of festive fireworks will thunder. During the May holidays, you can really spend time with benefit, organize cultural activities for the whole family, take a good walk and relax. And already on Monday 13th to start working with renewed vigor, because the next long weekend will not be soon.
