In this article the author examines and analyzes the role and significance of the national holiday as an element of cultural memory. Festive culture of different peoples of the world is a collection of ritual and ceremonial practices, traditions and norms of the main celebrations, specific to a particular society. National holidays perform many important functions, including such as communications, consolidation, the function of socialization of people, patriotic, cultural, leisure and many others. The author studies the structure and function of the examples of the national holiday celebrations held in the Astrakhan region. In modern culture is a substantial modification holiday: decreases the degree of formalization, develops industry festive symbols, enhanced utilitarian celebration and, above all, due to the marketing load when the holiday advertising is faced problems of its organizers and sponsors.
