Student’s Day (Tatiana’s Day): a very Russian toga party

Today is Tatiana’s Day! January 25^th (January 12^th Old Style) is commemorates the death of the 3^rd Century Christian martyr, St. Tatiana of Rome. St. Tatiana was a pious young woman, who was brought up by her father as a Christian and became a deaconess of the fledgling sect in Rome, when it was still in hiding from the authorities. She was captured and ordered to make a public renunciation of Christianity by making a sacrifice to the Roman deity, Apollo. Legend says that Tatiana prayed for deliverance, and an earthquake shook the ground, toppling and smashing the marble statue of Apollo. The Romans then gouged Tatiana’s eyes out with a hook and threw her into a pit with a hungry lion. The lion curled up at her feet and purred peacefully. Ignoring all these really quite obvious signs that she knew what she was about, the Romans then beheaded her.

Tatiana and the day commemorating her death might have slipped unnoticed into the Church calendar as yet another saint’s day, but historical events took over.

On January 25 (January 12 Old Style), in 1755, Empress Elizabeth founded Russia’s first University: Moscow University, noting that: “Any good comes from an enlightened mind, and evil is eradicated thereby.” Credit for founding the University goes to Mikhail Lomonosov, a prominent Academician and Professor of Chemistry, and the well-connected courtier I.I. Shuvalov, who served as the university’s first Curator. Prominent alumni include writers Anton Chekhov and Ivan Turgenev, Nobel Laureate and Politian Mikhail Gorbachev, and the artist Vassily Kandinsky.

In the early years, the University offered a general course in Philosophy and liberal arts from which students went on to a concentrated course in one of three branches of study: law, medicine, or philosophy. The University was housed for most of its history directly opposite Red Square, in the yellow and white classical buildings on Mokhovaya Street which today house the faculties of Journalism, Asian and African Studies and Law. In 1949, construction began on the monumental new building of the University Complex in the Sparrow (Lenin) Hills, the largest of the “seven sisters” or “Stalin Wedding Cakes” high rises which are an integral part of the Moscow skyline. Until 1990, this was the tallest building in Europe, and until 2005, the tallest in Moscow. In 1953, the doors opened for the first academic year.

Today, Moscow State University, or “MGU” is the largest University in Russia with over 40,000 students who study in 39 departments, under the tutalege of more than 10,000 professors. Fees begin at € 5 900 per year which has to be the educational deal of the century.

The association with Saint Tatiana and students endures to this day, and all over Russia, January 25^th or “Tatianin Deyn’” is considered “students’ day,” and marks the end of exams and beginning of the winter break. Divine service is held in the Chapel of St. Tatiana, followed by speeches, prize giving, and then unfettered partying in the city streets, beginning with a traditional honey-based mead, and moving on to anything the students can get their hands on!

So, if you have any students or any Tatianas in your immediate circle, be sure to congratulate them heartily today…and have some Alka-seltzer on hand for tomorrow morning!

This post is part of The Stunt

Today is also The Day of the Naval Navigators!

Hey there readers!

Did you encounter any Tatianas or any students out and about today? What are some of your recollections of Tatiana Days of the past? What’s the craziest thing you ever did as a student and was it this cold when you did? Log in and let us know about it by hitting the comment button below!

Thanks for dropping by today, which is also the “Day of the Naval Navigators,” which you won’t want to miss, especially if you are married to one of those guys who never ever ever asks for directions! And after you’ve enjoyed that, stick around and enjoy some more posts about the world’s largest country!  Like these:

Day of the Medical Workers/День медицинского работника: Breezes, Bribes, and Bubonic Plague

Day of the Chemists / День химика: Russia’s Unquestioned Contribution to Civilization

Day of the Military Translator /День военного переводчика: Strategic Communication In The Line of Fire

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