In the church calendar in January, Tatiana Day is highlighted in red, because it is of great importance for believing Christians. The fame of Tatiana Day was influenced not by Christian rites, but by a rather young holiday – Student’s Day, which is usually celebrated in the countries of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. What is the origin of these holidays and whether there is a connection between them as well as the importance of the celebration of the day, the answers to these questions, you will find next.
The Meaning of Tatiana Day
Almost every calendar day of the year is marked by someone’s name day. Name Day is a Christian tradition, a memorial day for a saint whose name was given to a person at baptism. January 25 is the Day of Angela Tatiana, so do not forget to congratulate all your friends named Tatiana on their personal holiday. It also popular as the Day of Russian Students – a memorable date in Russia, as well as a day in the Orthodox and folk month. The name of the day comes from the name of the early Christian martyr Tatyana of Rome, whose memory is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on January 25.
After the signing in 1755 by Empress Elizabeth Petrovna of the decree on the establishment of Moscow University, Tatiana Day began to be celebrated first as the university’s birthday, and later as a holiday for Russian students. Since 2005, the day of January 25 in Russia has been officially celebrated as the “Day of Russian Students”.
Who is Marty Tatiana?
The holy martyr Tatiana was born in Rome at the end of the 2nd century, in a noble family: her father served as consul three times. He was a secret Christian and raised his daughter in his faith. Tatiana, becoming an adult, decided that she would not marry. She dedicated her life to Christ. For her virtues and labors, she was elevated to deaconesses. This order existed in the ancient Church and meant that the girl had a number of important responsibilities at the church (for example, preparing women for baptism, helping to organize order in the church, doing charity, and so on).
During the reign of Emperor Alexander Sever, persecution of Christians took place. They seized Saint Tatiana, brought to the temple of the pagan god Apollo, and began to force them to worship the idol, but she refused.
The Origin of Celebration of Tatiana Day
On January 25, 2005, Tatiana Day was officially declared the Day of Russian Students. It is widely celebrated by students not only in Russia, but almost throughout the former USSR: in Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine. The connection between St. Tatiana and the students is unexpected and simple.
On January 12, 1755, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna granted and signed the request of Count Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov to open a new educational institution in Moscow. On April 23, 1755, the University was opened in Moscow. In 1786, the main building of the University appears on Mokhovaya Street. Five years later, the left wing of the building was given over to the house church. The church was consecrated in 1791 in honor of the holy martyr Tatiana.
So January 25 (coincides with the end of the examination session) became a significant day for Moscow University, and the martyr Tatiana was takes as the patroness of students. Tatiana Day in the Russian Empire and especially in Moscow is a merry holiday, with wide festivities in which both professors and students participate on equal terms.
Traditions on Tatiana Day
At first, this holiday was celebrated only in the prayer house of St. Tatiana Church, and already from the middle of the 19th century it took the form of celebrations. The day began with a traditional prayer service, after which the rector of the university addressed students with a solemn speech and awarded for success in mastering the sciences, and then a festive dinner was served.
Towards evening, students gathered on Tversky Boulevard and Trubnaya Square, where night fun began. Traditionally, a stormy celebration of the day took place in the Hermitage Restaurant, where students, graduates, and university teachers gathered. The restaurant workers, knowing how merrily celebrated this holiday, pre-cleaned expensive furniture and carpets, replacing them with simpler ones.
After the revolution, the holiday was considered very violent and cancelled, and the Hermitage restaurant was closed. In 1918, the university church was also closed, having arranged a reading room in it. In 1923, January 25 was declared the Day of the proletarian students, and the celebration of Tatiana Day was banned. The celebration was restored in 1992.
What Needed and Not To Do to Celebrate Tatiana Day
On this day, girls and women named Tatiana as well as students ask God for the fulfillment of their cherished desires. Traditionally, the girls who wanted to get married made brooms on that day and hid them in the house of the men with whom they wanted to connect fates with. It was necessary to do this without fail so that the future mother-in-law did not find the broom.
It is believed that on Tatiana Day you can’t:
- refuse anyone requests, especially food;
- quarrel and swear;
- do housework and needlework – clean the day before.
For this day there are signs for the weather:
- heavy snow means it will frosts until the end of winter and rainy summers;
- warm snowstorm means there will be drought and crop failure;
- clear skies and frost mean the spring will be early and harvest will be good.
Tatiana Day’s celebration is considered important, especially for people who are named after the martyr. For the students, although most of them have lost the real meaning of the celebration, it is still considered one of the biggest holidays dedicated especially to them. The point of the day is definitely to understand and absorb the good virtue of Martyr Tatiana and what she had done in the past.