The Russian government likes to play with holidays, working days, and time changes*.
Last week, since Women’s Day, a day off work, fell on a Thursday, the government gave us Thursday and Friday off of work, creating a three day weekend. But then we all had to work on Sunday to make up for the extra day. Which means that as of tomorrow, this will be a six day work week. It felt wrong to work on a Sunday, and I have to admit that the idea of coming into work tomorrow makes me a little sad.
Well, now I’m even more confused. Apparently Putin just played around with the May holidays. The article below comes from the Moscow News, an English language newspaper. I’ve read it three times, but I’m still not sure what it means.
May holidays dates confirmed Source Nathan Toohey at 15/03/2012 Victory Day will be celebrated in a block of four days this year thanks to the moving of several working Saturdays, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday, RIA Novosti reported. “Keeping in mind that many people have expressed their interest in have more days of at this time so that they can travel to their plots and gardens, it is proposed a day off be moved from Saturday, May 5, to Monday, May 7 and from Saturday, May 12, to Tuesday, May 8. So we get four days off – the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th,” said Putin. Simply put, starting from Monday, April 23, the nation will work six days in a row, then have three days off, then work four days, then have four days off, then work three days and then, finally, have one day off via May holidays dates confirmed | RUSSIA | The Moscow News. *See also the move to permanent Daylight Savings Time in October 2011, and the possible return of the time change in Autumn 2012 as a result of the presidential elections.
** The photo has nothing to do with the post, but I thought it looked too spare, so I bring you a fountain at Peterhof last May
