Russian National Holidays i n the Context of the Mass Media Discourse of Tatarstan

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of the popularity of Russian national holidays in Russia, as well as the nature of their coverage in the regional mass - media in Tatarstan. In our work, we proceed from the idea of the cultural core which includes norms, a system of values, and representations of a particular community. We noted popularization of folk festivals and celebrations, as indicated by the results of the nationwide survey of public opinion shown in the paper. At the centre of many Russian folk holidays is the cult of the Sun, as most of the Russians surveyed know about. Researchers who have studied the cultures of individual nations living in Russia also note the veneration of this cult among different ethnic groups. The paper notes that the interweaving of pre-Christian and Christian traditions, the popularization of public holidays testify to the roots of the latter in the cultural core and historical memory of the people. The Republic of Tatarstan is an example of tolerant coexistence of representatives of different nationalities. An analysis of the mass - media discourse of the region revealed that Russian folk holidays (Maslenitsa and Karavon) are presented as a way of uniting various ethnic groups. The rhetoric of the mass media in question fit into the official discourse of interethnic harmony in the region.