Tatiana Day – 25th January
Tatiana is a common name in Russian and is often shortened to Tanya, and affectionate nicknames such as Tanyushka, Tanechka, Tat’yanka.
Tatiana Day is a Russian religious holiday dedicated to Saint Tatiana who, according to tradition, was the daughter of a Roman civil servant who was secretly a Christian. Brought up by her father in the faith, she became a deaconess in the early Church in Rome, but her secret was discovered and the authorities tried to force her to make a sacrifice to the god Apollo. In answer to her prayers asking for divine assistance, an earthquake destroyed the idol and part of the temple. She was then blinded and beaten for two days, before being brought to the circus and thrown into the pit with a hungry lion. The lion, however, did not touch her but instead and lay at her feet. The authorities then pronounced a death sentence on her and, after having being tortured, she was beheaded with a sword.
The date of her execution is usually associated with January 12th, according to the Julian calendar, (which falls on January 25th in the Gregorian calendar and this is date is now commemorated as St. Tatiana’s Day.
It was on Tatiana Day in 1755 that the then Empress of Russia approved a petition by Ivan Shuvalov to establish a university in Moscow, (his mother’s name was Tatiana – and it was her name day). Later a church dedicated to Saint Tatiana was built on the university campus, and the Russian Orthodox Church declared Saint Tatiana the patron saint of students, and Tatiana Day has become celebrated as Russian Students Day.
Although it is based on a Saint’s Day – it is not just a “name day”, (a tradition found in many countries – especially in Europe and Latin America – of celebrating on the day of the year associated with the one’s given name, usually the Saint’s day as defined in the the Catholic and Orthodox calendar of saints).
In Kyrgyzstan:
The day is normally marked only by members of the Orthodox community, although anyone named Tatiana is normally congratulated on the “holiday” and may be given small presents.
In our company, for example, we have a number of Tatiana’s who work for us and we always mark the day for them with a cake … Tatiana Ivanovna, our Chief Accountant, has a sweet tooth and loves cake. I always joke that I am glad there isn’t an Irina Day or an Ainura Day as we have far more employees called Irina and Ainura.
Bishkek