07 April 2015 | 08:57

Kazakhstanis to have three days off in May

Photo courtesy of instabeat.me.

The beginning of May in Kazakhstan has always been rich with holidays. This year, Kazakhstanis will enjoy 3 days off in May, Tengrinews reports.

Kazakhstan celebrates the Holiday of Nations Unity on May 1st. The national holiday symbolizes friendship and mutual understanding between all the ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan. The main idea behind the celebration is to raise awareness about the great number of ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan.

The 7th of May is the Day of the Defender of the Motherland. The Defender of the Motherland Day commemorates the day when President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree creating the national defense forces of Kazakhstan. Later, on October 4, 2012, the Parliament decided to make this date a national holiday.

Finally, the biggest celebration that encompasses a number of Post-Soviet and CIS countries is the Victory Day on May 9, the day when Nazi Germany capitulated in 1945.

During the WWII Kazakhstan mobilized as many as 1.2 million soldiers for the war effort and lost many of its sons and daughters on the battlefields and behind the lines.

Since the official holiday falls on Saturday this year, according to Kazakhstan's Holidays Law, the next workday, May 11, becomes the day off, because Saturday is a day off anyway.

Celebrations this year will be filled with great emotional and symbolic meaning as it marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.

Numerous festivities are expected to be held across Kazakhstan. For example, an equestrian procession dedicated to the memory of the 106th National Cavalry Division will take place on the streets of Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. The procession will start at the old square of the capital and proceed along Abai Avenue to Victory Avenue, passing along the 310th Infantry Division Street and finishing on the railway station forecourt.

In addition, crews of 84 military aircrafts and helicopters are preparing a grand air show in Astana for the Victory Day celebrations.

There will also be an exhibition of paintings by young artists dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Victory, an exhibition of folk art, books and weapons of the Great Patriotic War. There are plans to hold a festival of military-patriotic songs as well.

Therefore, mark your calendars and enjoy the festivities.

Tengrinews team wishes you happy May holidays!

By Assel Satubaldina

World War II celebration CIS Defense holiday Kazakh Kazakhstan news Soviet Union unity Victory Day anniversary