Pumpkin Rescue – 2025: Autumn Pumpkin Festival in Russia

Autumn in Russia has always been a time of harvest. Pumpkin Spas is a fresh holiday that fits into the traditions, continuing the line of honey, apple and nut Spas. For more information about the holiday and how to celebrate it, see the Izvestia article.

On what date in 2025 did Pumpkin save

Pumpkin Rescue in Russia is celebrated on October 31, and in 2025 this date falls on Friday. The holiday is not included in the official church or state calendar, but its date was chosen deliberately — Halloween is celebrated on the same day.

The date of the holiday is associated with the completion of autumn work: by this time, the pumpkin beds have already been harvested and the vegetable becomes the main character of the table.

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When the Pumpkin Savior appeared in Russia

Pumpkin Day is one of the youngest holidays in Russia. Besides, he doesn't have an official date for the celebration. The first mentions of the holiday date back to 2023. Then the idea of the celebration was born in schools as a response to Western Halloween. The initiators were Izhevsk teachers: On October 27, the first event was held at school No. 16, where students in bright costumes participated in competitions and master classes.

The idea quickly spread in social networks and regional media, where it was positioned as the Slavic equivalent of Halloween, with an emphasis on harvest and family values. By 2024, the holiday was celebrated in Kostroma, Volgograd, Ufa and Bratsk. Although they try to connect the roots with the ancient Rhodogosch, a pagan festival of the equinox with feasts and rituals, it is rather a modern adaptation.

As noted by Pumpkin Savior

Pumpkin Savior is a celebration of creativity and gastronomic discoveries, where the main role is given to the orange vegetable. The main traditions are focused on family comfort and positivity, without the mysticism and horror stories typical of analogues abroad. Participants focus on thanking nature by cooking, creating decorations, and holding contests.

Key ways to celebrate:

• Culinary rituals: pumpkin becomes the basis of the menu. Families prepare mashed soups, casseroles, pies with fillings, and even desserts like cookies or candies. Schools organize "pumpkin tea parties" with contests for the best dish.

• Creative workshops: lanterns with smiles, patterns or animal figures are carved from pumpkins, but without frightening elements. Children and adults participate in painting, clay modeling, or keyring making.

Family and community events: schools organize costume days in orange, black and red tones, without "evil spirits". Cultural centers hold exhibitions of handicrafts, fairs and round dances inspired by ancient Slavic customs — feasts and fortune-telling for the harvest.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.