November 4 is National Unity Day in Russia

National Unity Day is one of the most important dates celebrated 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, “Russia’s development and protection of its interests, improving the welfare of its citizens, ensuring security and overcoming threats are unifying tasks. The strength of our multinational people is in unity and the belief in our state.”
The date became a holiday as early as in 1613, when 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, the holiday was abolished together with all other church holidays.
It was reinstated only in 2005. 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.”
This year, just several days ago, in Moscow, the monument to citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky was reopened to the public after a two-year restoration. The funds for its creation were once raised through subscription: it is truly a people’s monument.