Tatiana Day (russian: Татьянин день, ''Tatyanin den''), also known as Tatyana's Day or Students Day, is named after

Saint Tatiana Saint Tatiana was a Christian martyr in 3rd-century Rome during the reign of Emperor Severus Alexander. Biography According to legend, she was the daughter of a Roman civil servant who was secretly Christian, and raised his daughter in the fai ...

, a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

in 3rd-century

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

during the

reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Andorra), of a people (e.g., the Franks, the Zulus) or of a spiritual community (e.g., Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism ...

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

Alexander Severus Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – 21/22 March 235) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his slain cousin Elagabalus in 222. Alexander himself wa ...

. It is also the

name day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, among other parts of Christendom. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively that of a ...

for the name Tatiana. The

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

celebrates St. Tatiana's feast on 12 January Julian, which corresponds to 25 January Gregorian in the 20th and 21st centuries. In

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, the day is known as Students Day, commemorating the foundation of the

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

Background

On 12 January 1755 Julian (23 January 1755 Gregorian), Empress Elizabeth of Russia signed a decree for the establishment of the first Russian university, which was constructed in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and put under the care of the first Russian Minister of Education

Ivan Shuvalov Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov (russian: link=no, Ива́н Ива́нович Шува́лов; 1 November 172714 November 1797) was called the Maecenas of the Russian Enlightenment and the first Russian Minister of Education. Russia's first theatr ...

(that day was his mother's name day). In 1791, the Church of Saint Tatiana was built in the university campus, and the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

declared Saint Tatiana the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementa ...

s. Tatiana Day has come to be celebrated as ''Students Day'' in countries of the former Russian empire. The observance has a long tradition of festive activities and celebrations. In 1885,

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

wrote about Tatiana Day, "This year everything was drunk, except the water from the Moscow river, and only because it was frozen". The day begins with a traditional service conducted at the University's church followed by speeches and the awarding of prizes. Later in the day, many students host or attend parties and public events. Although originating in Moscow, St. Tatiana's Day celebrations have spread to most university towns. Tatiana Day also coincides with the end of the first term of the traditional

academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...

for Russian and Ukrainian students, so the holiday also functions as a day of celebration for the completion of final exams.25 января
// РИА Новости, 25 января 2003 года

References

External links

*
St. Tatiana's Chapel at the Moscow State University
*
Site for the St. Isaac's Cathedral

{{authority control Observances in Russia Observances in Ukraine Student culture Education in Russia Education in Ukraine Folk calendar of the East Slavs Eastern Orthodox liturgical days Moscow State University January observances