August 15 what holiday in Russia? History, features and interesting facts

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Russia is a country rich in holidays and significant dates. And there are days on which not even one event is celebrated, but several. Every day is basically a holiday. There are known to everyone, there are those that are celebrated by a narrow circle of the population. Some of them are official, this is a day off for the whole country; other church holidays, they are revered by believers, religious people. And what do we know about the significant dates that are celebrated on August 15? What holiday is celebrated on this day in Russia? What features does this day have, does it have its own history, interesting facts related to it?

List of holidays for August 15

This day is not widely known in the history of the country, nothing remarkable. But August 15 - what is the holiday in Russia, what is its history connected with?

This day is still a holiday for individuals who are associated with archeology. After all, this is their professional holiday, although, unlike others, itis not official. It is celebrated in a narrow circle.

Another August 15 for Orthodox believers is the day of memory of St. Basil the Blessed. And Catholics celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Among the people, August 15 is a holiday in Russia for the owners of the name Stepan. It is called the day of Stepan-Senoval.

August 15, a historic event took place in Russia. In 1723, the royal residence near St. Petersburg, Peterhof, was opened.

Archaeologist's Day

One of the main holidays, which is celebrated on August 15 in Russia, is the day of a very interesting profession - an archaeologist. It is not considered official as its appearance is not associated with a government decree.

Archaeology is isolated from all other sciences, and in Russia they started talking about it only in the 19th century. Count Alexei Uvarov is considered its founder. The very technology of excavation was developed much later, but the very first excavations laid the foundation for this science of antiquity.

Today, a huge number of expeditions open every year in the summer. World Archeology Day was established by UNESCO on July 17. If you are wondering what kind of day it is - August 15, what holiday in Russia, the history of its appearance, entertaining facts about this day, then the following information will be very informative.

The story of the day of the archaeologist

There are several legends about the origin of this professional holiday. One of them tells about the excavations, whichwere fought before the war in Novgorod. The archaeologists, after long excavations, wanted to relax and unwind. They turned to the leader of their expedition with a statement that it was necessary to mark today's date. And that was August 15th. “What is the holiday in Russia today?” asked Artsikhovsky. Archaeologists joked, naming the first thing that came to mind. It turned out that they celebrated the birthday of the horse of Alexander the Great, Bucephalus. Then this occasion was forgotten, and the name day of Bucephalus became Archaeologist's Day.

Another version of the appearance of this professional holiday refers to an expedition conducted in the 40-50s under the leadership of the Tripolye archaeologist T. S. Passek. On August 15, which was the birthday of the expedition, they decided to make it a good tradition and celebrate everyone who is related to archeology, and not just its participants. After all, it has become a real "forge of talented personnel" in this fascinating science.

St. Basil's Memorial Day - August 15

What church holiday in Russia is honored by believers on this day, many do not know. And the Orthodox remember on August 15 Blessed Basil, the Moscow miracle worker.

His name, thanks to the famous Moscow church, which is dedicated to this saint, is known to almost everyone. But few will answer the question, which holiday on August 15 is religious in Russia? And also, when the saint lived and became famous, whose name is honored on this day by all Orthodox believers. But, interestingly, even during the life of St. Basil the Blessed, he was very revered. And his coffinwhen he died, Ivan the Terrible himself carried with the boyars, Metropolitan Macarius buried the saint.

From the history of the life of St. Basil the Blessed

The life of a little boy who grew up in a peasant family was unremarkable at first. He was born in 1469 in Yelokhovo, in a small village near Moscow.

He learned shoemaking from a shoemaker. Once he was very surprised by one strange circumstance. One customer asked an apprentice to sew boots for him, "so that they would not be demolished." The boy smiled very strangely at such a request, and literally the next day this customer died.

When Vasily was sixteen years old, he abandoned his teachings, his parental home and began the feat of foolishness for the sake of Christ. He walked half-naked around Moscow, where he had to, he slept there, ate what he had to. His actions sometimes seemed insane, but in the end they were the most logical and correct of all possible.

Somehow Vasily arrived at the prison, where in the Ascension Monastery he prayed silently for a long time in front of the church, and the very next morning a fire starts from here, which will burn all of Moscow.

St. Basil the Blessed was honored and feared by Ivan the Terrible himself. He visited him with Tsarina Anastasia when he became seriously ill. In 1557, Vasily died, and the Terrible ordered him to be buried in the cemetery of the Trinity Church, where the construction of the Intercession Cathedral had already begun. Subsequently, he was destined to become St. Basil's Cathedral, so great was the veneration of the saint among the people.

St. Basil's Blessed Memorial Day August 15 has becomein 1588.

August 15 according to the national calendar

People have always associated every day with some of their own observations, beliefs, which later became traditions. And what is the holiday on August 15 in Russia according to the folk calendar?

This day people call the day of Stepan-Senoval. This saint was a Christian martyr, a member of the Jewish diaspora. He always stood for justice and order, served as a deacon with 60 Christians.

Stefan also preached the Word of God in Jerusalem and subsequently came into disagreement with respected representatives of the synagogue. He was put on trial, but how he died is unknown.

In Russia, Stefan was called by another name - Hayloft. After all, it was on these summer days that haymaking ended.

An old folk tradition to celebrate Stefan-Senoval Day in Russia

The whole family went on this day to collect different herbs. From them then weaved the so-called Stefan wreath. He was brought to his hut and hung in the corner. If someone in the family fell ill, then the hostess took a bunch of grass from this wreath, brewed it and treated the patient with this decoction. It was believed that the strength of the Stefan wreath remained until spring, until the feast of Hilarion.

Also on August 15, on Stefan, a special relationship was with horses.

The horse had to be brought to any source in the forest and watered from his hat with a silver coin. People believed that after that the horses would be docile, and so they can beprotect from evil spirits.

And the coin was taken out of the hat and kept until next year under the manger. She was inherited from father to son.

Here is a ritual existed in Russia, associated with August 15th. What holiday in Russia is still celebrated on this day is no longer known. Maybe some other interesting fact is connected with him in narrow circles?