Cosmonautics Day is observed annually on April 12 in Russia and other former Soviet Union nations. This holiday commemorates the first crewed space flight, during which Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the planet. Gagarin's historic flight marked the Soviet Union as the first country to achieve this milestone, and he was celebrated as a national hero. On this day, participants gather at Gagarin's statue in Korolyov, visit his grave in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis, and proceed to Cosmonauts Alley, concluding their observance at the Novodevichy Cemetery. Cosmonautics Day was officially established by the Soviet Union in 1962, and it highlights the significance of space exploration in history.