Russian Holiday and Demography in the 20th and Early 21st Centuries

Abstract

The article traces the development of the Russian traditional holiday in the context of ethnic-cultural and social transformations and particularly in connection with the numerical decrease of the Russian population and the dynamics of intergenerational transmission of the ethnically signifi cant information. The main focus of research is the holiday and celebration in the light of the continuity of generations and the dynamics of demographic processes; the study is innovative in its approach and draws on ethnographic and demographic sources. The article further analyzes the experience of the Soviet state in “traditionalizing” ritual-celebratory activities, which was in certain ways instrumental in stabilizing the birth-rate dynamics. The national statistical surveys data are drawn upon as research sources as well.