Lived up to the century of the revolution

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Дожившие до столетия революции

Pretty hard to explain to a foreign person, why the celebration of the anniversary of the October revolution is called the November holidays. Meanwhile, the solution here is very simple: in fact, the celebration of the anniversary of the revolution was first celebrated exactly a year after her, and it was already 7 November, and not October 25. Because Russia’s transition to the Gregorian calendar occurred last winter of 1918. And so it happened that the revolution — October, because what happened in October. And the holidays — November because there just in November.

However, this is now sacred relation of the Bolsheviks to the date of the seizure of power was one of the foundations of Soviet identity. In order to mark the event day, and not on the calendar, you can accept the paradox of the anniversary of the October revolution in November. Similarly, the whole Christian world now celebrates Christmas that none of the Christian denominations is not the same as, in fact, the day of the beginning of the era, starting from Christmas. Absolute time, in some cases, more important than the calendar.

It is important, for example, when we celebrate the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, June 6, new style, not old on may 26, when he was actually born. But it is absolutely not important, for example, for the memory of Bloody Sunday in which we commemorate the 9th of January, old style, when it happened. This variability time and calendar deep, and sometimes can lead us into confusion. Two lost weeks between the Julian and Gregorian calendars will confuse us, although since the change of calendar in Russia took place almost a century. And imagine what it was like for the Russian century ago. When Russia for centuries lived with Europe with 13-day difference in time.

However, the sacredness of the event over the past quarter century is somehow faded, and we may remember it on an existing calendar. On 25 October 1917, 100 years ago, the Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers ‘and Soldiers’ Deputies declared: “the Provisional government has been overthrown”. Something happened that became known as the October revolution. And the whole history of humanity took a different and unprecedented way.

As a schoolboy, I anxiously thought that one day I will live to see a century of revolution. Now I honestly do not feel the slightest emotion.

Those for whom this event is still sacred, can, by tradition, to await its November 7th.

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