Three main dates in the Circassian calendar: September 20, Circassian Day, a state holiday of Kabardino-Balkaria; April 25, Circassian Flag Day, marked by Circassians worldwide; and March 14, the Day of the Adyghe language and writing, the anniversary of the first Adyghe primer of 1853.
This page lists only the dates we could verify against sources, with the history of each and a free greeting card to share.
September 20: Circassian Day
The Day of the Adyghe (Circassians) is a state holiday of Kabardino-Balkaria, a republic of Russia where Kabardian, the eastern Circassian language, is official. It was established by a decree of the republic’s head on August 12, 2014, has been celebrated every year since, and is a non-working day in the republic. The day opens with processions in the republic’s cities, continues with concerts, exhibitions, tournaments and horse races, and ends with a mass performance of a national Circassian dance. The holiday honors the Circassian people as a whole, most of whom live outside their historical homeland.
April 25: Circassian Flag Day
Every year on April 25, Circassians around the world celebrate their green flag with twelve gold stars and three crossed arrows. In the Republic of Adygea the date has been set in law since 2013 as the Day of the State Flag. What the stars and arrows mean, and where the flag came from, is on our page about the Circassian flag.
March 14: Day of the Adyghe language
On March 14, 1853, the scholar Umar Bersey published his primer of the Circassian language in Tiflis, the first book in the Adyghe language. The day of its publication is marked as the Day of the Adyghe language and writing. The story of how Circassian came to be written, from Bersey’s primer to today’s Cyrillic alphabets, is on our page about the Circassian alphabet.
Greeting cards
A ready-made card for WhatsApp and social media: tap to download the image. Free, no watermark. Cards in Russian are on the Russian version of this page.
Free on iPhone and Android
Mark the day with a few words of Circassian
A full course of Kabardian and Adyghe with audio, the alphabet and Habze lessons.
4.9 on the App Store 53,000+ people in 100+ countries
Questions
What are the main Circassian holidays?
Three dates with clear sources: Circassian Day on September 20, Circassian Flag Day on April 25, and the Day of the Adyghe language and writing on March 14.
When is Circassian Flag Day?
April 25, every year. In the Republic of Adygea the date has been set in law since 2013 as the Day of the State Flag of the Republic of Adygea.
What is celebrated on September 20?
The Day of the Adyghe (Circassians), a state holiday of Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia, established in 2014 and a non-working day in that republic. It honors the Circassian people, most of whom live outside their historical homeland.
Why is the Adyghe language day on March 14?
On March 14, 1853, Umar Bersey published his primer of the Circassian language in Tiflis, the first book in the Adyghe language. The day of its publication is marked as the Day of the Adyghe language and writing.
How do I say happy holidays in Circassian?
Every Circassian phrase on this site comes from the app’s lessons or dictionary rather than being made up, so we don’t print greetings that no native speaker has checked. The app teaches real greetings in both Circassian languages.
Sources
- Wikipedia (Russian), article Day of the Adyghe (Circassians) (revision 147345477, read October 16, 2026): the date, the 2014 decree, the non-working day and the traditions.
- Wikipedia (Russian), article Adyghe writing (revision 154130663): Bersey’s 1853 primer, published in Tiflis, the first book in the Adyghe language.
- Circassian Flag Day: this site’s page The Circassian Flag and its sources, including the article on the flag of Adygea (the 2013 law).
Want more like this?
The app has 64 short lessons on Circassian culture and Habze, plus a course in Kabardian or Adyghe to learn the language behind them.
Download free53,000+ people in 100+ countries
