Grandparents Day in Russia will be marked across the country on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, celebrating the vital role older relatives play in family life.
Data from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center shows that grandparents participated in raising 74 percent of surveyed Russian citizens. Despite that widespread family involvement, dedicated celebrations intended to strengthen ties with senior generations began in Russia only a little over 15 years ago.
The annual occasion takes place every year on October 28. It remains an unofficial observance rather than a statutory public holiday, meaning employees do not receive a day off work and the event is not listed in the state calendar of holidays.
Under its full title of Grandparents Day in Russia, the celebration encompasses more than just immediate grandparents. Family customs encourage people to congratulate grandmothers, grandfathers, great-grandmothers, and great-grandfathers, alongside elder in-laws, great-aunts, and great-uncles.
International dates and Russian observances
More than 30 nations observe similar holidays for older generations, though dates vary widely around the world. Belarus shares the Russian date of October 28. Australia marks the occasion on the final Sunday of October, while Germany, Hong Kong, and Malta celebrate on the second Sunday of October. Italy holds its observance on October 2, Lithuania celebrates on the first Sunday of September, and the United States marks the event on the first Sunday after Labor Day in September.
Russian families also have two other unofficial calendar dates dedicated to senior relatives. Grandfathers Day falls on January 22, an occasion observed widely by Cossack communities who believe that a grandfather is just as capable as a father of raising a true Cossack. Grandmothers Day is marked on May 26 and is especially popular in the republic of Udmurtia, where regional authorities established it to honour the ethno-pop group Buranovskiye Babushki following their second-place finish at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. In addition, the official Day of Older Persons has been observed across Russia every October 1 since 1992, coinciding with the United Nations International Day of Older Persons.
Origins of the holiday in Poland and the United States
Poland was among the earliest countries to establish dedicated days for senior relatives. In 1965, the popular Polish magazine Kobieta i Zycie, which translates as Woman and Life, proposed celebrating Grandmothers Day on January 21, followed immediately by Grandfathers Day on January 22.
In the United States, senior rights advocate Marian McQuade campaigned for years to create a national day of recognition for elders. Her efforts led the United States Congress to pass legislation in 1978 establishing National Grandparents Day on the first Sunday after Labor Day. The American custom encourages families to visit older relatives and invite lonely elderly people to spend a day in a family setting.
Commercial roots in the European flower industry
The modern campaign to turn the celebration into an international event originated in the Netherlands, driven in large part by commercial motives. In the Netherlands, an organization called Bloemen Bureau Holland promotes Dutch flowers on the global market, developing marketing plans, advertising campaigns, and international trade fairs.
Brand analyst Philipp Stelmakh told Lenta.ru that the celebration effectively emerged after sales of Dutch potted flowers dropped sharply in 2004, prompting the bureau to look for ways to revive consumer interest. At that time, creative marketing specialist Charles Lansdorp worked at the bureau. Lansdorp had previously taken part in the Flowers for the Pope initiative, an effort devised by Dutch growers to compete with Italian rivals on their home turf by sending flowers to the Vatican every Easter, a practice that has continued for 40 years.
Lansdorp helped create the Italian grandparents celebration, Festa dei Nonni, before suggesting that the Netherlands replicate the event on June 4 and promote it worldwide through public relations campaigns. He also introduced the custom of grandchildren presenting potted live flowers to their grandparents. Stelmakh said that a potted plant symbolizes the unbreakable connection between roots and shoots, uniting the older and younger generations.
Religious traditions have also shaped dedications to grandparents in Christian communities. In 2021, Pope Francis instituted the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly across the Catholic Church on the fourth Sunday of July, honouring Saints Joachim and Anne, the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ. The Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the holy ancestors of Christ, known as the Forebears of God, on September 22.
Pagan roots and adoption in Russia
Grandparents Day in Russia is widely believed to have been celebrated on a broad scale for the first time in 2009, though the exact identity of who introduced it remains uncertain. Stelmakh noted that the floral industry likely played a role, explaining that while the formal purpose of strengthening family ties is noble, flower shop receipts consistently surge during holidays. He added that market conditions created a clear need for a fresh family holiday capable of sustaining consumer demand for flowers.
Church historian and theologian Sergey Kozlovsky noted that the October 28 date coincides closely with ancient Slavic pagan rituals. Kozlovsky explained that early Slavs observed Autumn Dedy, or Autumn Ancestors, on October 28 as a day to remember grandparents and deceased kin. The final week of October was known as Navia Week, a period when ancient belief held that the barrier dissolved between Yav, the world of the living, and Nav, the realm of the departed. Autumn Dedy marked the final day of this remembrance period, serving to reinforce generational continuity.
Community traditions and school activities
Across Russian cities and towns, community organizations hold civic events on October 28. In Moscow, participants in the Moscow Longevity municipal program mark the date with organized walks, creative workshops, and campaigns thanking the older generation. Regional cultural centers, museums, leisure centers, and libraries organize daytime tea parties, art contests, and themed educational classes.
At home, celebrations generally center on informal visits and tea parties with cake rather than formal dining. Kindergartens and schools encourage children to prepare handmade cards, crafts, and recitations. Preschoolers and primary pupils also learn songs written about senior family members.
Popular musical selections include Grandmother Next to Grandfather by Ilya Reznik and Pavel Aedonitsky, Old Grannies by Vyacheslav Dobrynin, and Grandma, Bake Pancakes! by Multivarik TV. Children also sing tracks from animated series, such as Grandfathers and Grandmothers from Burenka Dasha and Grandmothers from Kid-E-Cats, alongside the song Grandpa by Kukutiki and Grandpa-Grandpop performed by the Big Children's Choir.
Floral symbolism and traditional gifts
Flowers remain among the most popular presents for the occasion, with specific varieties carrying symbolic messages. A bouquet combining different cut flowers allows givers to express tailored sentiments: asters represent family love and shared memories, white carnations signify good health and long life, burgundy roses convey respect and admiration, and yellow chrysanthemums denote prosperity. Gerbera daisies communicate cheerfulness and affection, yellow roses symbolize friendship, irises convey trust and wisdom, sunflowers express optimism, freesia signals trust, and chamomile represents domestic comfort and warmth.
Potted houseplants offer a lasting alternative for senior relatives who enjoy gardening, with each variety carrying traditional meanings. Aloe represents household protection, bamboo signifies health and longevity, geraniums bring good cheer, and the winter-blooming Schlumbergera, known in Russia as the Decembrist cactus, symbolizes care and kindness. Potted lemon trees represent vitality and abundance, jade money plants denote financial well-being, African violets express optimism, ficus plants convey positive energy, cyclamen wishes pleasant dreams, and the potted Amazon lily represents refinement.
Practical presents and long-distance greetings
Because late October brings cold weather across most Russian regions, practical warming gifts are widely favored. Recommended items include mittens, woollen scarves, blankets, warm socks, thermos flasks, jam, honey, hot water bottles, electric blankets, and space heaters. Kitchenware and culinary gadgets are also popular gift choices for grandmothers.
For family members living far from their relatives, etiquette suggests placing a phone call to share congratulations directly. Relatives can also order floral deliveries accompanied by handwritten florist cards, or arrange for professional bakeries to deliver custom cakes decorated with personal messages or edible photographs.
