Turning 25? Then head to Primorye! How Russians celebrate birthdays based on… region codes!
Birthday celebrants are traveling to the Russian region whose vehicle registration code matches their age.
An unusual trend has gone viral on Russian social media: celebrating your birthday in the region whose license plate code matches your age!
The rules are simple: for example, turn 25 in Primorsky Krai, celebrate your 30th in Astrakhan Oblast or, at 51, head to Murmansk Oblast.
For travellers, this is a way to “liven up” their travel itinerary and discover less obvious destinations. For example, someone turning 40 might not normally consider vacationing in Kaluga Oblast, but when they learn its code is 40, they decide to take a closer look at its museums dedicated to Tsiolkovsky and space exploration.
All Russian regions have their own codes, which can be seen on licence plates. Codes 1 through 21 denote the republics in alphabetical order (e.g., 10 – Karelia, 21 – Chuvashia). Codes 22–27 are for krais (22 – Altai Krai, 25 – Primorsky Krai). The largest group of codes belongs to the oblasts (regions), with some regions having multiple codes. For instance, St. Petersburg has 78, 98, 178, 198 and 778. Moscow Oblast has 50, 90, 150, 190, 250, 550, 750, and 790. And Moscow has 77, 97, 99, 177, 197, 199, 777, 797, 799 and 977.
So, when planning your next birthday, open up the list of Russian license plate codes – your most exciting adventure might be waiting for you right there!
