October Revolution Day is a public holiday in Belarus, observed each year on November 7th.
It commemorates the Great October Socialist Revolution that began in 1917 in Russia.
The revolution was the second major uprising of that year, following the February Revolution that ended Tsarist rule.
After the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, Russia was governed by a provisional government under Prince Georgy Lvov.
Discontent with poor working and living conditions led to the rise of Soviets, or workers’ councils, across the country.
Many of these Soviets were influenced by Bolshevik leaders, who gained increasing power under Vladimir Lenin.
On November 7th 1917 (October 25th in the Julian calendar then used by Russia), the Bolsheviks launched an armed insurrection in Petrograd.
The uprising overthrew the provisional government and established the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the first socialist state in the world.
The event became a defining moment in 20th-century political history, shaping decades of global ideology.
Throughout the Soviet era, November 7th was one of the most important public holidays across the USSR.
Today, Belarus is the only former Soviet republic that still marks the October Revolution as a national holiday.
Elsewhere, including in Russia, the date has been replaced by National Unity Day, celebrated on November 4th.
In Belarus, the day remains both a historical commemoration and a reflection of enduring Soviet-era traditions.
