Russia hosts a variety of major national holidays, cultural festivals, and community celebrations.
* **Victory Day (May 9):** The most revered secular holiday, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII with massive military parades in Moscow's Red Square and the "Immortal Regiment" civilian marches. * **New Year’s Eve:** The biggest festive celebration of the year, combining traditions of exchanging gifts, the arrival of Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), and watching the president's midnight address. * **Maslenitsa:** A lively Eastern Slavic religious and folk holiday celebrated the week before Great Lent, known as "pancake week" where people eat blini and burn a straw effigy to welcome spring. * **Scarlet Sails (Alye Parusa):** A massive, spectacular public event in St. Petersburg celebrating high school graduates, featuring a tall ship with red sails, fireworks, and water shows on the Neva River. * **Moscow International Film Festival:** One of the oldest film festivals in the world, showcasing domestic and international cinema.