Modern holiday culture of Russia: preservation Russian traditions, constructing new symbols and meanings

The article is devoted to identifying Russian ethnic traditions and symbols that are preserved in the holiday calendar of modern Russia. Most attention is paid to such holidays as Christmas, Epiphany, Russia day and national unity day. Conclusions are made about the preservation, revival and transformation in the public life of a private celebratory customs on semantic convergence of the notions “Russian” and “Orthodox”, established in the public consciousness and social practice new social and political holidays thanks to their chronological overlay on the traditional advent calendar and the activities of cultural institutions due to the needs of the state in strengthening the ideological component of the holidays and strengthening of the unity of the nation. The popularity and mass character of holidays is influenced by the spread of modern forms of communication — television and the Internet with a variety of content and social networks that form a kind of “fashion” in society to follow certain customs. Strengthening consumer psychology and ignoring cultural traditions lead to a functional imbalance in the festive and ceremonial sphere, so it is necessary to take care of the historical and cultural heritage and design new images and meanings.