A New Russian Holiday Has More Behind It Than National Unity: the Political Functions of Historical Commemorations

This study seeks to address both the theoretical and empirical aspects of national holidays' selection. Noting a breadth of historical events that a state may choose to celebrate, this study asks how and why only some events are selected for national remembrance and commemoration. I answer this question by considering the role of national holidays in politics of history and memory and state‐ and nation‐building. Using an example of the Russian government replacing an established public holiday — the Revolution Day, celebrated on 7 November — with a new holiday — the National Unity Day, celebrated on 4 November — I set out to demonstrate how the choice of historical events for national celebration hinges on their potentiality to be reconstructed and deployed for the present political agendas.