Coalition majority left-wing opposition split

In most countries, except (a)_____, there are several different political parties. The one with the (b)_____of seats normally forms the government, and the parties which are against the government are called the (c)____. Sometimes no single party wins enough seats, and several parties must combine together in a (d)____ to form a government. The principal ministers in the government form a group called the (e)____. The leader of this group, and of the government, is the (f)____. Of course, there are many different kinds of parties and governments.

A socialist or communist party is often described as (g)____. A conservative party on the other hand, is usually said to be (h)______. Political situations are always changing. Sometimes in a party or between two parties there is a big argument or deep difference of opinion. This is called a (i)______. When, on the other hand, two parties work together, this is sometimes called an (j)______.

with for against to in between

1. I voted ______ the Liberal candidate.

2. Put your voting papers ______ the ballot box.

3. He's very right-wing, so he's ______ the socialists.

4. She belongs ______ the Communist Party.

5. The Liberals formed an alliance ______ the Social Democrats.

6. There's a split ______ the two parties.

7. There's a split ______ the party.

In general, there are three kinds of holidays in Russia. They can be national, professional and religious. Some of them have long histories and some of them are newly established or renamed old ones.

Official / national holidays

National or official holidays are called so because they have an official status of days-off throughout the country and are celebrated very widely. Take any Russian calendar and you will see all the official holidays printed in red. There are quite a lot of national holidays in Russia when people all over the country do not work. See the list of the official holidays below.

The official holidays in Russia when banks, government offices, libraries and educational establishments are closed:

New Year's Holidays	January, 1-5
Russian Orthodox Christmas	January, 7
Day of the Defenders of the Motherland	February, 23
Women's Day	March, 8
Day of Spring and Labour	May, 1
Victory Day	May, 9
Independence Day	June, 12
Day of People's Unity	November, 4

Stores may be open for fewer hours on some of these days. Sometimes it can be a little complicated, figuring out on which days the most businesses shut down. If the holiday falls on Monday or Friday, then everything is simple — it's a day-off. If it falls ona weekend, then Friday or Monday will also be a day-off. If it falls on Tuesday or Thursday then the weekend will be shifted a day in the right direction and Saturday or Sunday becomes a working day, with the three days-off being Sunday-Monday-Tuesday or Thursday-Friday-Saturday. If the holiday falls on Wednesday then there is no long weekend.

Religious holidays

Apart from the official holidays, many people in Russia, especially after the fall of the USSR where any religious activities were restricted, celebrate religious holidays. The origin of many holidays is not always Christian or Orthodox. Russians can have holidays which are Christian and paganat the same time. Through years, Christianity has been converting ceremonies of paganism into Christian ceremonies and traditions, but many religious holidays contain the elements of paganism and are perceived as merry entertainment. Each Russian holiday has its own peculiar ceremonies and traditions. Traditional Russian celebrations of Kolyadki, Maslenitsa (Shrovetide/ Pancake week), Easter, Red Hill, Ivan Kupala, Troitsa and Spas can be great things for tourists to see.

Professional holidays

Professional holidays are widely celebrated among the members of certain professional groups: teachers, doctors, auditors, sales assistants, diplomats, etc. There are really lots of professional holidays in Russia, but they are not public holidays, so the banks, offices and schools are not supposed to close.

Other holidays

Though quite a number of holidays have already been described, we haven’t mentioned all the occasions that Russians celebrate. There are some other holidays which are quite important, though some of them are very unusual, to say the least. Take ‘Old’ New Year, for example, which is celebrated on January 14. After Peter the Great moved the date of New Year celebration in Russia from September to January 1, in 1700, it became an official holiday. But in 1918 by a special decree of the Bolshevik party, Russia adopted a new, European calendar, and had to add two weeks to its chronology. So when the country started celebrating New Year on January 1, in 1919, some people would continue celebrating it according to the old calendar, which was on January 14. Due to this calendar change, now we celebrate Christmas on January 7, not on December 25, as our ancestors used to.

Some people get into celebration of the Old New Year because they can not stop after celebrating New Year and Christmas!

St. Valentine’s Day, which is on February 14, is quite a new, but popular and well-accepted in Russia Catholic holiday. The holiday is celebrated in the same manner as it is celebrated in Catholic countries.

April Fools’ Day is unofficially, but very widely celebrated on April 1. Jokes are heard everywhere on this day. People play tricks on their colleagues, relatives and friends. Even if one fools you, you are not supposed to show any signs of bad temper. Otherwise, people will suspect you of the worst possible sin — the lack of humour.

Apart from this, Russians also celebrate the Children’s Day (June, 1), Day of Knowledge (September, 1), Mothers’ Day (last Sunday in November), Day of Elderly People (October, 5), Students’ Day (January, 25) and some other holidays.

1) What types of holidays are distinguished in Russia?

2) What is an “official” holiday?

3) What are the origins of religious holidays in Russia?

4) What is characteristic for Russian professional holidays?

5) What other holidays are celebrated in Russia?