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Russian Language Day celebrated on Alexander Pushkin's birthday

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Russian Language Day celebrated on Alexander Pushkin's birthday


06.06.2022

Photo credit: the press service of the Russian Ministry of Education / edu.gov.ru (CC BY 4.0)

The International Day of the Russian Language is celebrated on Monday, June 6, in Russia and other countries. It is dedicated to the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, the Russian poet and the founder of the modern Russian literary language.

Pushkin Day was established by presidential decree in 1997. In 2011, a decree was signed on the celebration of the Day of the Russian Language on the same day in order to preserve, support and develop the language as a property of the peoples of Russia, a means of international communication and an integral part of world heritage. Russian Language Day is celebrated at the UN level, where Russian is one of the six official ones. The corresponding decision was made in 2010.

Russian is considered the most widespread of the Slavic languages. It is spoken by almost 150 million Russians. For almost 130 million people, Russian is the second language. Russian is in the top 10 in terms of the total number of speakers. It is the 2nd most commonly used language on the Internet.

Traditionally, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow becomes one of the central venues for the celebration. All lovers of Russian literature and admirers of Pushkin's creativity are invited to performances by famous bands, meetings with contemporary authors and scientists. All events in all branches of the museum can be visited free of charge, including exhibitions and tours.

The religous service will take place at the grave of the poet. Alexander Pushkin is buried in the Holy Dormition Svyatogorsky Monastery in the Pskov region.

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