This year, the celebration of November 4th, National Unity Day, falls on a Tuesday. KudaGo shares with you the history of the holiday and suggests what to do during the November weekend. When and why did Russia start celebrating National Unity Day? National Unity Day is the only state holiday in November. Don’t miss the chance to relax and spend time with family. National Unity Day is one of the youngest holidays in our country. It has been celebrated since 2005. However, the event that became the reason for the official celebration did not happen recently. National Unity Day is timed to the significant year of 1612 for Russia, specifically to the liberation of Moscow from Polish invaders and the heroism of Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Nizhny Novgorod elder Kuzma Minin. This fact became pivotal in the history of our country when the joint efforts of all peoples and estates living in Russia restored the independence of the Fatherland. The commemorative day, October 22nd in the old calendar, was already declared a state holiday in 1649 when Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich established the Day of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. This image appeared to the militia near the Novodevichy Monastery in 1612 and became a symbol of victory for the people. However, with the revolution of 1917, the celebration was interrupted. About the history of the people's militia After the death of Ivan the Terrible, and then his son Fyodor Ioannovich in 1598, the Rurik dynasty, which had ruled Russia for more than 700 years, came to an end. The time that followed was later called the Time of Troubles. The constant change of rulers led to Tsar Vasily Shuisky calling in Swedish troops for support in 1609. This decision resulted in a three-year Polish intervention in Russia. To liberate the country, the people's militia led by Minin and Pozharsky had to forget about previous class and national contradictions and unite in the fight against the invaders. The Poles were expelled, and the country was liberated. The monument to Minin and Pozharsky commemorates the leaders of the people's militia.