The public holiday was established in honour of events of 1612 when Russian voluntary troops commanded by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky liberated Moscow from foreign invaders. In the church calendar this is Day of Our Lady of Kazan whose icon was the main relic of the voluntary troops. In 2005, the Russian government made November 4th a public holiday.
The holiday is linked with the heroic pages in the history of the Russian people; it implicates the idea of national consent, cohesion and unity.
The Vologda Region is a diverse assemblage of ethnicities, languages and faiths. The region will celebrate the holiday with a number of festive events - concerts, exhibitions and flesh mobs.