November 4 is National Unity Day in Russia

On this day (October 22, old style), a popular uprising led by Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky liberated Moscow from Polish invaders. This event is considered to be the end of the Time of Troubles, when once again Russia was on the verge of losing its statehood.
Several months after the liberation of Moscow Zemsky Sobor was convened, bringing together representatives of all classes: the nobility, the boyars, clergy, Cossacks, Streltsy, peasants and delegates from the Russian cities, and a new tsar, Mikhail Romanov, was elected.
As Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the CSTO PA and Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, noted in his congratulations in his Telegram channel on the National Unity Day, “Speaking of popular representation, we have our own history of the formation of the institutions of popular authority, which later changed forms, but the essence remained: the reflection of people’s interests in state governance.”
In 1613, Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich established the Day of Moscow’s Liberation from Polish Invaders. Since 1649, the holiday has been celebrated as the Day of Our Lady of Kazan. According to legend, the Our Lady of Kazan icon was sent to Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and protected the popular uprising.
After 1917, church holidays were no longer state holidays, there was a calendar reform and November 4 was no longer celebrated.
It was reinstated only in 2005, but now it is called National Unity Day.
Because, as stated in the explanatory note to the bill adopted by the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, on this day, November 4, 1612, “fighters of the popular uprising ... demonstrated exemplary heroism and solidarity of all people, regardless of their descent, religion or social position.”
Usually the country holds mass celebrations on National Unity Day. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be no public events this year. But in St Petersburg, the Palace Bridge will be backlit in the colours of the Russian flag, and on the night between November 4 and 5, St Petersburg bridges will not be drawn.
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