Celebrations and Commemorative Days of the Post- Revolutionary Russian Emigration

Abstract

This article aims at analysing celebrations and commemorative days of Russian post-revolutionary emigration and its descendants with reference to some theoretical approaches of cultural history connected with the phenomenon of collective memory and the process of “the invention of traditions”. The author defines the typology of “old” (mostly ecclesiastical) and “new” (cultural, historical, charitable, and political) celebrations and describes the ceremonies of specific commemorative days organised in the migrant communities. The article provides examples of different types of celebrations in the emigrant environment. The author underlines the idea about the revival of monarchical ideology, which found its new breath among Russian emigrants after the Civil War. The aspect of the cultural space and ceremonies of similar commemorative dates is also touched upon by the author. The author pays much attention to the new celebrations, which became the result of the invention of new traditions, such as the Day of Russian Culture, Day of the Russian Child, Day of Intolerance, Day of the Royal Family’s Death. Such commemorations are considered from the point of view of the memory policy, which fulfilled the functions of forming a collective identity, establishing certain values and preserving traditions, developing participative culture, and the socialisation of emigrants in other countries. Another function of such celebrations was the designation of “us”, participants of the celebration, and “them”, i.e. friends and foes. Such celebrations, of course, helped emigrants in the process of their self-identification and approval in a different cultural environment. In addition, the article raises issues of further study of such emigrant commemorative practices.

Keywords

• российская эмиграция
• праздники
• памятные даты
• коллективная память
• политика памяти
• изобретение традиций.