Archives for: August 2009, 20

Юбилей

August 20th, 2009 by Don

The word юбилей means anniversary, an entirely fitting word since today is the first anniversary of the existence of Russian Word of the Day. The word applies to birthdays, wedding anniversaries, the commemoration of revolutions, and the observance of pretty well any other notable event. It can also mean the party held on those days, and thus it may be translated as birthday party, anniversary party, or celebration. Here are some sample sentences:

Поздравляю с юбилеем! Happy anniversary! or
Happy birthday! or
Happy [other yearly commemoration]!
За пять недель до юбилея мы полетели в Грецию. Five weeks before the anniversary we flew to Greece.
Сергей Миронов поздравил с юбилеем народную артистку СССР Елену Образцову. (source) Sergei Mironov wished a Happy Birthday to Elena Obraztsova, a People's Artist of the USSR.
С юбилея Союза журналистов России вернулась ставропольская делегация. (source) The Stavropol delegation has returned from the Union of Russian Journalists anniversary celebration.
Сегодня двухлетний юбилей со дня поступления на новую работу. В течение этих двух лет я успел выплатить все долги и найти невесту. Today is the second anniversary of the day I started the new job. In the course of these two years I have managed to pay off all my debts and to find a fiancée.

For Russian Word of the Day this anniversary is a joy. Over the last year we have provided over two hundred fifty posts discussing Russian vocabulary. For us generally monolingual Americans, the success of such a blog suggests hope for the future. People who are willing to learn each others' languages and consider each others' points of view are the key to deepening our understanding of each other. With that goal in mind, let us all consciously adopt attitudes of lightness and humor toward ourselves at the same time as we adopt attitudes of curiosity and patience toward those we don't know.

Warmest wishes to all the children of Earth,

Donald E. Livingston, Jr.

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